DEMONLORD
by Dimension Distorter
Summary: An alternate time where Earth wasn't devastated but thriving thanks to, virtually, a miracle. Alternate forces that work behind in its shadow to bring about its end. And an alternate person who got trapped in the New World 10 years before YGGDRASIL shuts down with no guild or IRL friends to speak of. What kind of changes can a single person make? - MATURE! HAS LEMONS AND SMUT!
1. Transportation Issues

Here is my new story, after being obsessed with a new fav anime of mine, Overlord. After reading stories from the likes of **MadDan90, pta917** and **Reis Nailo** (along with a few others), I've been eager to get to writing my own. I have been planning the initial stages for months and it's about time to try and put all of that planning into action. Understand though that while this is mainly an OC-based Overlord story and all that, there are a lot of other elements that I am going to mix into both YGGDRASIL and the 'New World' as well. A lot of them I think you all will be very familiar with and I can't wait to write them all out…but one thing at a time, heh.

Oh, and before you start reading, let me save you the trouble. Ainz is NOT central to this story. He IS going to be in the story EVENTUALLY but I'm creating an entirely original plotline for the New World. I'm not taking canon out the picture, not entirely, but somewhere down the line, canon is gonna have to take a back seat. Hell, it'll be taking a back seat pretty early in the starting chapters. I'm not even going GIVE you who are only here for Ainz the chance to judge my story. It's OC centric. Don't expect Ainz if that's literally the ONLY THING you care for about Overlord.

Ainz isn't the foundation of the series. The New World is and that's what makes the series amazing. That's what I believe, anyway. So, don't bash because you don't get skeleton boy. I'm telling you this so that you can choose to backspace away and save yourself the hassle. But….if you're willing to stick with my OC, then please enjoy the read. I've worked really hard with **MadDan90** this past year to get ALL of my Overlord information correct. I'm still currently reading the LN and just got to chapter 4 in it. I also watch the anime too…just the dub though because that's how I watch it.

P.S. There WILL be smut and sex of all kinds in this story with various kinks and species! Don't like that? I'll put a bold line before the lemon and after the lemon so that you can skip over it. Nothing like that in this chapter though but there will be in the next one, just to give a heads up.

 **Chapter 1: Transportation Issues**

Of all the planets in the solar system of the Milky Way Galaxy, all of the pale in comparison to that of a single world, inhabited by the dominant race, known as humans, along with a vast assortment of other creatures, of course. Earth has seen its fair share of conflicts both natural and man-made through the many millennia, yet it seems that humanity is on the fast-track to rapid growth and consistent evolution among themselves. The current year is 2128 AD, Earth in the distant future of the 22nd century and the advancement of technology has never been greater despite the massive setback that was befalling the planet.

In the past, during the early stages of the 21st century, oil was a dangerous resource for the people around the world to constantly rely on. Not to mention, constant production and use of fossil fuels are what was leading the planet down the wrong path. As more complex machinery was being created, mixed in with mass production of current technology, it required the use of more and more fossil fuels and constant abuse of oil continued to add to the pollution that had been plaguing the Earth for decades. When some oil-wells began to run dry around 2025 because of this, starting in Saudi Arabia, due to it being the world's largest oil producer.

For the next 2 years, humanity was on a slow decline as a multitude of mini-wars around Earth, either against separate nations or in-fighting in some countries, erupted due to fighting over every remaining oil-well within their realistic reach. Those that were already owned wells that continued to produce oil fought their hardest and set up as many defenses as they could afford to keep their means of productivity going. Saudi Arabia suffered badly as they were practically oil-less for those two years so they could not afford to create many new cars, computers, or even mundane things, such as air-conditioners. And due to the resources wars, barely any nation was eager to help supply them either.

This lead to Saudi Arabia becoming more people-productive and savvy with the machines that they already had. China and Russia were willing to spare just enough oil to Saudi Arabia for them to continue to have a decent amount of electricity but only for communications to not go dark among other things. This meant that phones, computers, refrigerators, and even air conditioners were not among the things that were obsolete but cars no longer had a place in their society. If this trend had continued on for the next several decades, then the people of Earth would have turned their world inside-out and make it a horrid reflection of what it used to be, trying to create or mass produce alternatives to oil, destroying the beauty of nature. Some even thought that trying to substitute oil with nuclear power was to be the next solution however this only proved to be even more dangerous than not having any oil at all after various experiments were tested and performed.

This did not come to pass.

It was into the 3rd year when something that could only be described as a miracle had made itself known in America. The discovery of the one-thought to be a fruitless idea, cold fusion. A power that has alluded scientists since the 1900s and practically falling into the realm of myth in the science community which nearly put it into the same category as magic. It practically was, as the main focus of cold fusion is to outperform oil and nuclear fission in every possible way, from constant energy production to little to no waste output into the environment or atmosphere.

Tests were done with newly created appliances and miniature generators and those of the science community were astounded to see the new cold fusion batteries were constantly recycling power, making the machines run smoothly without any issues. These generators were kept on for an entire day and then turned off the next day before being removed, showing that they could still properly function at optimal compacity. This miracle not only set Earth back on the right track in its development but the people of Earth had exceeded what they believed to have been possible during their current age.

Every new machine that was created was outfitted with cold fusion tech in some way and any old appliances were reprocessed and then repurposed to work with the new science that swept the world in the coming years. Old oil and nuclear plants were dismantled before fusion plants took their places, not capable of polluting the atmosphere. Technology jumped ahead several decades thanks to the infinite energy supply that people were slowly but surely being outfitted with. Suffice to say, it was difficult for the people of Earth to imagine where they would be if the technology that they used today was never discovered.

* * *

America.

The largest cesspool of diversity, innovation, ingenuity, and people on the west side of the world. Due to cold fusion discovery in this section of North America, the U.S. had become a very famous locale for those who did not naturally live within its borders. Not to mention the fact that a good amount of cutting-edge technology originated from America nowadays but to keep good relations with other continents, it would bestow places like Japan, China, or Russia with prototypes of their completed machines for them to reverse engineer and recreate to properly fit their culture.

This did not mean that the rest of the world was behind in any way in comparison as they did have their own creations and such that they were very proud of, such as Japan nearly mastering robot-technology for starters. Even going as far as creating virtual intelligence, or V.I., for the majority of them.

The focus is set in New York City, the 'Big Apple' itself, which had managed to expand itself at least to twice the size over the past century. Buildings were built much higher, the three islands that comprised the entire city all doubled and it was more of a place of opportunity than ever before. Flying modes of transportation, such as people on hoverboards or in hovercars rushed passed on ground level or in the sky. Watching the masses pass was a man, who was sitting at an outdoor café table.

He was African American with brown hair that was a mix of slicked back and ended in spikes. There were a few short bangs that hung from his forehead just above his eyebrows, and the sides of his head had a buzz-cut. He appeared to be in his mid-20s and had an impressive stature of 6'0. His eyes were a surprising shade of dull red, an unnatural shade for anyone to have unless they were wearing colored contacts. For clothing, he wore an open black jacket, a red shirt underneath, and jeans with dark black boots. Around his neck was a dull-grey necklace with a symbol made of onyx hanging from it. It was the design of some sort of key, with the handle in the center of the circle where the necklace was attached, and the key-portion hanging down.

In front of the man was a plate of food, which was a sandwich cut in half, hotdog, and a strawberry smoothie. To his left side was a sketchpad with three pencils beside it. He grabbed a sandwich in his left hand before taking a bite of out it, grumbling a little to him. "Jesus, he's late. What's keeping him?"

He didn't have to wait too long because he heard footsteps rapidly approaching from behind him just a few minutes later. The new arrival was another man of around the same age, except he was Caucasian. His hair was a dirty blonde and his eyes were green. He wore a green and blue shirt, jeans, and black shoes. He huffed as he walked to the table and looked down at the first man, who just deadpanned at him while eating.

"You're 10 minutes late, Jakob. The hell was keeping ya'?"

"Sorry, Gwent, I had to help my sister with something first and she just wouldn't leave me alone until it was done."

The now named Gwent shrugged and said, "Well, I guess it couldn't' be helped. I waited 5 minutes but I just got hungry and had to eat something. Go on an order something. I can wait."

"Sure." He walked into the café to do just that. Thankfully, nobody else was ordering food at the time so he was able to get him relatively quickly, which was a BBQ Burger, some fries, and a milkshake. He came out to the table and sat down on the side opposite to Gwent who couldn't help but smile, thankful that his friend had shown up and the boredom that he was feeling could finally cease.

As Jakob ate some of his fries, he looked down to the sketchpad that Gwent had to his side, noticing the new picture that he was working on. He didn't have any colored pencils so it was just a normal sketch but it looked very impressive and detailed. Even though he was looking at it upside down, he could tell that it was most definitely a being that stood on two legs. Most certainly not a person but definitely a creature.

"So, what have you been working on? You did that while I waiting for me?" Jakob asked while taking a bite out of his burger. Gwent looked up from his sandwich, which he was finishing as he took the final bites out of the second one. He turned to his sketchpad and turned it around with his unoccupied hand so Jakob could properly see it. He drunk a bit of his smoothie to wash it down before giving his answer.

"Nah. It usually takes me 30 minutes to do a picture that detailed so quickly, and even then it's not totally realized unless I put, at least about an hour into it. But that there is actually my demon avatar, Inariz Xorgran. You know, from my copy of YGGDRASIL, that super, popular DMMORPG that dropped in Japan 3 years ago."

Jakob's eyes widened in surprise as he kept staring at the picture. The times that Gwent ever talked about what he did involving that YGGDRASIL game were few and far between and each time, Jakob was interested in knowing more about it. He knew that his friend, Gwent Bane, was a guy of various talents and got by in life relatively easily thanks to those skills of his. For one, he had amazing artistic talent and that's landed him to be in a pretty comfortable position financially and socially alone, as he drew various comics, paid commissions, and even works at the Sony Corporation of America (SCA) for those same skills.

If that isn't enough, he was also fluent in Japanese as well and gained a pretty great reputation for being an English to Japanese and vice-versa translator. From what Jakob understood, if his memory served properly, one would have to be at least an intermediate-level speaker and reader of Japanese else playing YGGDRASIL was a pointless endeavor to those who couldn't. Especially considering that, from what Gwent told him, everyone who plays the game only speaks Japanese with the bare-minimum able to speak English. Jakob himself could say with pride that he was good enough in the language to hold a conversation for a decent amount of time with a Japanese speaker but he knew he had a long way to go before he could even attempt to play YGGDRASIL…and that's not counting having the buy the game, the equipment, and them having it shipped oversea's.

He looked back down at the picture, going over every little detail about it. "Your avatar, huh? Well…what is he?" The character, Inariz, in particular, had unruly hair between two impressive horns that weren't dissimilar to a bull's. He had a snout and digitigrade legs with three clawed-toes on each foot but most definitely wasn't an animal. He had on very intricate looking armor with large armor plate that hung over his crotch area. He wore fingerless gauntlets, armor over his feet instead of shinguards and carried two swords. One on his back and one that he was holding his right hand off to the side as if preparing an attack.

Gwent couldn't help but give a small smile of pride before giving his answer. "Inariz is a Demon. A Demon Lord actually but that's just a technicality. Honestly, I've put a whole mess of work into him these past 3 years, especially to get him to Lv.100. It's amazing that I'm able to play YGGDRASIL and also get various kinds of work done when not playing." He was not exaggerating with that statement either. Between personal projects, working at Sony, playing other video games, his social life, along with being called off and on for translating positions, it was a wonder he found the time to manage it all.

"You know, you don't really talk about YGGDRASIL much unless something about it is brought up in conversation. Why is that?" Jakob asked but Gwent just shrugged at him, biting into his hotdog.

"Well, people don't usually talk about games that they have to someone who doesn't have the same game because they can't properly convey the experience. And that's…honestly, the same reason why I don't bring it up…well, that and, it's a whole new kind of experience in of itself what with all the Japanese things. Plus, because it's one of the very few DMMORPG's out there, I think I can only really talk about it to someone who has actually played it. I don't mind telling you things about the game though."

Jakob thought about it before nodding in understanding. Yes, that was true in his eyes as well. He remembered when they were kids and he tried to explain to explain his love for giant robots, such as Gundam and the like. However, it was difficult for Gwent to understand his excitement because Gwent wasn't into large hulking robots that were prone to smash up city blocks by the dozen. He could at least admit that they looked very cool, that was for sure.

"Well, how different is this game from other DMMORPG-based games? America has a few of those too. I mean, you have to admit that some of those are great." He handed Gwent his sketchpad back. Said man took it into his hand, having finished his hotdog and stared intently at the drawing of his avatar.

"I'm not saying the ones we have here in America is bad at all. But…the thing about YGGDRASIL is that it has EVERYTHING that I want and then some. For one, you know how much of a big fantasy nerd I am so that alone got me hooked on it. But for another reason, the number of races you can pick and classes you can pick is just so damn numerous and crazy that anyone who is able to properly play it would spend an hour or two on customization alone. Sucks you can only pick a single character for your entire duration of the game but that's hardly a problem. There's no time limit to picking your race and your classes so you can make sure what you pick is what you want.

A lot of the dive-based games barely have anything like that. It's either you just jumped into a pre-programmed game with already selected characters or the customization and races are highly limited. I've never been a fan of picking human-characters because…I mean, why would I when I've spent my whole life as one, right? I know what we're capable of so I like seeing what other races can do."

Jakob gave him a knowing smirk. "And because you're a furry~"

Gwent gave a prideful smile. "Yes, I am…and so are you. I _know_ you think my character is hot."

Jakob gave a laugh and shook his head. "I'm so not gonna stroke your ego anymore on that." Let it be known that while they both were furries, they were both also bisexual as well. So, in his mind, Jakob did find Gwent's avatar to be quite the looker. And he already knows about his friend's obsession with picking bestial characters over human ones. He can't recall a time where he ever picked a humanoid character in a game where you were allowed to pick another race entirely. Though, Gwent was a bit fickle in that regard too because, in his words, he would have to also be a race that looked good enough that even a human wouldn't mind plowing.

He was so weird.

The artist laughed before drinking more smoothie. After his sip, he continued, "but that's kinda what drew me in at first. I mean when I saw I could be a damn demon of all things, I needed that in my life. And you get to literally explore the whole of YGGDRASIL too. All of the 9 Worlds are in there and each of them is three times the size of Tokyo."

Jakob's eyes went wide at the thought. After having taken a trip to Tokyo a few times, he could say without a doubt that the immensely busy city was huge. But _nine_ locations in a game that was three times the size? He couldn't even fathom.

"That sounds so cool," he exclaimed with a big smile, "seriously making me wanna get the game! I mean, I may not be as good at Japanese as you are but I think I'd be able to get by! I can't believe you never told me about all of that!"

Gwent laughed a little bit. "Well, it IS a game that dropped only in Japan and the only reason I managed to get my copy on the game of release was that of my Japanese pen-pal, Gao, letting me know. Showed me the trailers and everything. And, like I said, I could never really bring the game up properly before."

"Can you tell me more about how the character customizing works?" He asked, fully into the conversation now.

Gwent nodded. "Yeah. There are three types of races you can pick. You have the Humanoids, with the normal humans plus Elves, and Dwarves. Humanoid races are weakest in basic status and cannot have a racial level. Instead, they can learn more classes which provide high status or powerful skills more easily, giving them high potential. They're the most popular races and that sucks ass…I'll get to why later.

Then there are the Demi-Human races, which are the Orcs, Ogres, Lizardmen, which I have to admit, I _almost_ picked that one. The Lizardmen look cool. Anyway, Demi-Human races can get more basic status and have a racial level which you can add onto for new race-specific powers. Demi-Human races are similar to the average between Humanaoid races and Heteromorphic races and I'll explain that one in a little bit. While the Demi-Human races aren't all as easy on the eyes like a human, they can still perform better than Humanoid races. In my opinion, sometimes, it's best to go for the strongest body and skills than the best looks.

Finally, we've got what I said before; the Heteromorphic races. Inariz falls into this category and it's the very least picked out of all three of these."

Jakob couldn't help but ask, "Why is that?"

Gwent gave him an irritated look making him shirk back a little but the look wasn't meant for him. "Oh, you'll know in a bit. Just let me explain. Also, if I look mad, it's not because you interrupted…but that was rude. Don't do that."

"Sorry," Jakob said simply.

"It's because of what the Heteromorphs gotta go through that's pissing me off right now. Let me explain. So, this race has even crazier creatures to choose from. Slimes, Vampires, Werewolves, Angels…Demons. All of that. Heteromorphic races own the most powerful basic status, which can be even more strengthened by increasing their racial level. High-rank races also provide special abilities similar to that of monsters. Besides providing the racial level and special abilities, the Heteromorphic races are able to also gain more ability points than neither Humanoid or Demi-Human races

But what sucks about _that_ is the racial level comes at a cost where it limits the number of job levels one can learn. It's how the developers limited them so that they don't become the most dominant race in the game. A human or demi-human could have up to 20 Job Classes if they wanted but a heteromorph could only learn about half that. That's the first reason people rarely pick them. But the second thing regarding them is what's making me upset. You know how PK'ing is a sucky-thing in open-world games and doing it can get you penalized, right?" Jakob nodded to show that he agreed.

"Well, when humans and demi-humans kill each other when they are out of a PvP zone, then they get penalized. But, apparently, the developers thought that it would be cool to have it so that heteromorphs could get PK'ed by the other two whenever the hell they want and not get penalized for it."

Jakob's expression changed to that of an irritated one, showing that he wasn't on board with that idea at all. It honestly made Gwent a little happy that his friend shared his feelings. "What!? But that's dumb! Why would they…so..what!? They just don't get penalized for it!?"

Gwent scoffed and resumed adding a bit more to his picture. "I wish it were that simple. Things work a bit different in this game when you die. Experience Points and items are the two largest driving forces in it. When you die, you drop a random item that you've been carrying and it doesn't matter how valuable or worthless it is. Something is gonna gets lost. So, you can imagine that PK'ers just love to farm the heteromorphs for whatever gear they have for one.

For another, some races need to kill heteromorphs for certain powers and abilities and those playing that race are fair game. To add insult to injury, dying costs you 5 levels. So, if you were level 5 and you died, then you'd have to start back from level 1. So…I guess you can say that YGGDRASIL hammered home my dislike for playing as a humanoid character, even more, when I first started playing. Bitch-made motherfuckers."

"Whoaaaa, what!? How is all of that even allowed!? I mean, wouldn't there be a TON of complaints about that!?" Jakob exclaimed in shock but Gwent let an aggravated noise that no one could describe spill from his lips.

"If only it were that easy. I can assure you, practically the whole Heteromorphic community said something to 'em. All of us getting angry or telling them to change the way they just allowed the other two races to bully us like it was nothing and for no reason either. Honestly, that was the only reason. We didn't even care about the limited Job Classes or anything, especially since a good amount of us were in it for the head-canon.

Number of sucks though. I'd have to say about 70% of YGGDRASIL gamers are humanoids. 25% are Demihuman. And we're just that last 5%. I don't even think that the devs would care if they even lost 5% of the game's fanbase because they'd still have the 95% they already got." Gwent nodded to himself as he added some detail to the picture, mainly in the swords and in the armor. He had fully memorized the gear that Inariz wore down the last detail so he had no issue recreating it on paper.

Jakob had a look of disbelief. He leaned back and grabbed his milkshake, taking a sip of his own drink. He loved RPG-style games about as much as Gwent did but he wasn't sure that he would have it in him to continue playing one if, not only the players but the developer's severely handicapped the way he wanted to play. "Jesus Christ, dude. I don't know if I could keep playing that. I mean, I still DO wanna get the game now but…if I wanna pick a Heteromorphic race…"

Gwent used his other hand to wave him off. "Oh, trust me, do NOT let that discourage you at all. If you wanna pick one then do it. The start-off is gonna suck because of the toxic assholes who keep trying to kill you but I _assure_ you, in my opinion, Heteromorphic is the way to go. They technically ARE the strongest of the three, especially when you give yourself classes that compliment each other and invest in your racial classes too. It's…like playing the some of the old 21st-century games. You gotta 'get good' and when you become strong enough with your character, I shit you not, I can't tell you about the number of times I fucked-over gangs of 5 to 6 human players that tried to jump me just because I was a demon!" His mood brightened as he recalled those times, especially back when he managed to get around to Lv. 30.

"Ha! That'll teach those assholes!" Jakob cheered for him, happy that his friend was happy.

Gwent shrugged. "Granted, no matter how strong your abilities, it's still an RPG and those are always based on levels. So…those gangs were people were either a little under my level or around the same but if they were a much higher level than me then I'd have been lucky to get away without dying. I'm serious, in YGGDRASIL, that's one of the worst things you could do to someone. But back on track, you know the basics of what all the three races have going for 'em. So, if you pick heteromorph then just pick one with good racial powers and Job Classes that work well with each other."

Jakob nodded in understanding. At this point, he was 80% sure that he was going to buy the game himself and get it shipped to him at his earliest convenience. So, before that happens, he would at least want to know as much as he could currently handle before that. "Anything else I should know?"

"Well, I can only tell you so much," Gwent said, "you kinda have to experience the rest for yourself. I guess, if you want, then make a party with people. Ones you can trust. And I can even get you talking to my friend, Gao. I kinda talk about you to him occasionally and he's been saying to me that he'd want to play you too if you ever get the game."

"Oh, yeah? Well, it _would_ nice to have at least one person to help me. I mean, would he be fine with that though? You two have been playing for 3 years and I'd be a noob. So, would he help me?" Jakob asked, a little unsure. Usually, players of a higher level wouldn't spend a lot of that time with those of a much lower one. Not unheard of but it's definitely not common.

"Trust me, Gao is a sap for helping other people, even if they aren't his friends. And he'll do anything for those that are, even if he just met them. Says he wants to be the example of what people should be, kinda like the sun." Gwent placed his straw in one-half of his mouth and spoke out of the other half. "I don't fully get what that means but I can at least say it sounds cool. Not only that but he speaks English too. Another big win, am I right? But he'll stay with you for as long as you want until you can get comfortable with the game. At least with him helping you out, you won't get PK'ed if you pick a Heteromorphic race. He'd be too strong for Players in low-level zones." He drinks more of his smoothie, it being half-gone at this point.

He looks at it. He should definitely buy himself another one.

"But if he can do that then can't others?" Jakob asked as he also drunk his milkshake but to below half. Gwent shook his head negative.

"You know how it is with these kinds of games. When you get to a certain level, you stay in areas or do events that can either keep challenging you or get you better gear. Not impossible but very improbable you'll see more level 100s walking around when you start off. They'll be too busy with…well, with what I just said. In fact…" He places his smoothie down and grabs his sketchbook. He turns to an empty page, one not connected with any of his pictures and tore it out. "I'll give you his email. That way, you can get to know each other before you even get the game."

"Yeah, you're right," Jakob agreed before continuing, "when I reached Lv.110 on World of Warcraft, I didn't find myself going back to the lower leveled areas unless there was something there worth my time. Even then, that didn't really happen too much unless there was some sort of festival going on."

World of Warcraft was still pretty popular in the U.S. and was one of the only handfuls of games created in the 21st century that had full-dive tech integrated into it. Those of the 22nd century that enjoyed the game loved it even more due to the fact that they were able to actually be in the game itself and making it even more popular. Granted, not much about the game has changed because of this and a lot of features stayed the exact same. Though the graphics WERE vastly enhanced and all of the characters and races on screen looked as real as could be with modern technology. Though anyone would just love the fact that they could be their actual avatar's, which was all people cared about. Some could say that is even matched YGGDRASIL in popularity and it would be pretty difficult to accurately gauge their claims.

World of Warcraft was a game that had already existed and had multiple guides made for it, both online and in paperback. Anyone would have the ability to just research whatever they wanted to know and whatever they had to do to get this or that. YGGDRASIL, however, was only out for 3 years and, yes, it's information database continues to increase the more the players discover. The downside to that was there is so much about the game and the surface of it was barely scratched and not just as a whole but in individual parts too. Items, racial abilities, Job Class potential, gear, spells, item location, etc. Usually, it would take a decade or longer with the aid of millions of players worldwide to constantly log-in and discover, at least, 80 to 90% of a large-scale RPG's capabilities.

YGGDRASIL was only limited to Japan and because it is a Japanese-only game, with no mention of a worldwide release yet, that alone is a big setback. Japan is very small compared to most countries with only one available language to play the game…unless someone foreign was to use a special potion that makes it possible for verbal communication. But even then, those weren't common to find. The game also had no way of advertising itself outside Japan unless one were to actively look for it, yet that would not do much good in the hands of one who can't properly translate Japanese. While online translators have gotten significantly much better over the decades, that kind of technology is not automatically implemented in video games, especially one where there are no signs of it leaving its country of origin.

Even if every single person in Japan were to buy the game and play it extensively, it would still take at least 5 times the amount of time for the Japanese to learn the same percentage of information about the game compared to WoW. Gwent could only hope that would happen one of these days, where anyone could buy and play the game if it was released everywhere. That also goes back to the whole 'single character' ordeal. People are libel to create more characters in an RPG when they have either made their previous one as strong as possible or learned of new information on how to get the most out of certain classes, events, gear, or race-specific boons.

YGGDRASIL takes all of that away so if you have an unbalanced character then you are either out of luck or you are forced to salvage what you can and make said character balanced with various forms of high-ranked gear, not to mention whatever abilities they may have. There's also the option of starting all the way over but no one in their right mind would start from zero with no other form of recovery, such as another character profile.

At that moment, a question popped into Jakob's mind. "Hey, I forgot to ask, what race is your friend Gao anyway? And I don't mean which of the three categories but what is he playing as?"

Gwent smirked and contemplated telling him, even opening his mouth to respond. He stopped before he could speak and decided to give another answer. "I think it'd be best if you found out from him yourself."

Jakob huffed and sat back fully in his seat in mock disappointment. "Sure. Why tell me anything yourself?"

Gwent laughed a bit at his friend's antics. "I think I told you plenty. Don't go making up stuff like that to my face. At the very least, I can tell you that he picked to be a Heteromorphic race so that _kinda_ narrows it down, but it's still quite a bunch of various species one could be," Jakob huffed again but nodded, "so…what race are you thinking about picking?"

"No idea. Maybe I'll be a heteromorph too?" He asked this question more-so to himself. "I mean, you and your friend, Gao, are both that race and even though I know you guys have the minority from both the players and the developers, I think it'd be cool if the three of us were a full set, you know? And you did say he'd help me out when it came to the game, so…I don't think I'd have too much to worry about."

Gwent nodded with a small smile, glad that his friend was figuring out his eventual plan of action. It's not like he was trying to steer Jakob away from being a heteromorph or even towards being one either, he just felt that it was best to let him know what he'd get into if he did, both the good and the bad. There'd be no reason for him to have to try and challenge himself so extremely, so he'd be free to pick a Demi-Human race. And yes, Gwent _knows_ what Jakob would pick, at least, among their kind because he also picks non-humanoids to play as during other RPG-based games if he had the choice too.

In the _Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim_ emulator, he had picked Argonian over and over as his race so he has a feeling that Jakob would probably go with Lizardman for all he knows. But there was also reptilian Hteromorph's as well, besides Dragonoids or even straight-up dragons. And with how vast the customization is, both for race and Job Classes, for all Gwent knows, Jakob could make himself out to be like the crocodile Egyptian God, Sobek!

' _God, I can't wait to hear and see his expressions once he finds out about how intricate customizing is. And if he turns himself into Sobek, I'm gonna celebrate!'_ Gwent grinned to himself before he looked back to Jakob and nodded.

"You're right. You don't have much to worry about. Not if you're smart at least and since you'll be playing with Gao and me, you'll be able to play as much as you want and not feel the need to have to look over your shoulder the whole time. Then before you know it, you'll have caught up with us."

Jakob gave a big smile, glad at the encouragement. He always appreciated how Gwent could just talk and say things that could just make people wanna pick themselves up. He isn't a therapist or anything but maybe he picked up some tricks from his grandmother on his mother's side, who was a certified one. "Once again. Thanks."

"Yup," Gwent said before he decided to change the subject, "so, besides YGGDRASIL, you got any other things planned?"

Jakob nodded with a grin. "Yup. I actually got a Buddyfight shop tournament coming up at our local card shop."

Now it was Gwent's turn to be interested in a different reason. Future Card Buddyfight was one of the card games that had been released in 2033 and had been pretty popular since then, among other card games, of course. He was into it, as well. "That's great! I haven't had the chance to enter one of those for a while, what with me being pretty busy and all. But I have been tuning some of my decks in the meantime."

"Been practicing against V.I.'s on some of your downtimes?" Jakob asked, looking to Gwent's Holoband around his right wrist. The metallic-silver band was a high-grade yet basic piece of technology that was capable of acting as a watch, a phone, connect to the internet and had a sleuth of other features and functions. All of this was projected through holographic screens with a small mix of hard-light implementation that can allow a dull sense of feeling for interactions with said screens. The screens were 10 inches in width and 5 inches in height.

Each Holoband was implemented with a V.I. that was capable of handling substantial commands and had little to no mishaps. Granted, you couldn't ask anything complicated such as 'what is life'or 'what do you think', else the V.I. would just not register an answer before asking if one required anything else. It was also possible to adjust the voice and language settings on the V.I. as well, with a few hundred different voices and tones to boot. Even if this kind of technology was pretty basic in this day and age, Gwent found it to be pretty essential and believed that life was so much more convenient with it. They were also water, fire, and electric proof while being amazingly durable due to the thin titanium-substitute coating.

"Yeah, I have. But even a V.I. can only do so much compared to going against another person." Gwent said.

Jakob nodded. "Yeah, I see what you mean. But they still make for great practice."

Gwent smiled again. "You know, Gao also loved Buddyfight. Like, a whole lot. Maybe you two should play some games or something." Gwent downed the rest of his drink after that statement, already wishing he had more.

Jakob closely followed suit. "That's cool. Now I wanna meet him even more! Anyway, since you asked me, I've gotta ask you back. Got anything planned for the rest of the day?"

Gwent looked down to his sketchbook, to the drawing of his avatar and mulled over it for a bit. "Hmm….not that I can think of, besides the usual, of course. Though my dad's birthday is in 3 days, so he's gonna be flying in from Denver to celebrate it. I have to say, I can't wait to see him. You can join in the festivities if you want. I know he'd love to see you too."

"Sure," Jakob said with a smirk, "your dad is super cool! He gave you your necklace, right?"

Gwent fingered the object in question hanging around his neck, smiling just a bit. "Yeah. Says it's been in our family for a very long time and it's very important. And…well, I don't wanna call him a liar and I don't see a reason too. But in my opinion, it just a necklace as far as I can tell. Even had it appraised too. Besides being pure silver, there isn't much to it."

"Ever taken it off?" Jakob asked.

Gwent fingered the jewelry. "Once, yeah. It was when I was in the shower and I just wanted to see what it felt like not wearing it for so many years. I have to say, even being naked, I never felt MORE naked not wearing it. Guess it must've seriously implanted itself on me, huh?

"It's not totally weird. A lot of people have things that they get very attached too." Jakob said which Gwent obviously agreed to. That was how they spent their next hour; buying a few more frozen drinks and food, chatting up video games or other topics, even playing co-op on a couple games on their Holobands. When they were done hanging out, the both of them said their good-bye's before heading off in their own directions.

However, when Gwent was making his way back home, someone was looking at him from afar. Not much could be seen on this person as they wore a black hoodie with the hood up, blue jeans, and brown shoes. The hands gave their complexion to be Caucasian even their face was mostly hidden as they sat at a table across the street from where Gwent and Jakob had been sitting. The person brought out his Holoband and dialed a number. They waited for a while until someone picked up, a male voice speaking.

"Yes?"

"Sir," the figure spoke indicating that it was also a male, "I've been tailing him like you asked and it sounds like he's about ready."

The voice on the other line laughed a little. There was no malice of any kind in it but genuine pleasure. "Already? It's only been a few years! He's gotten that far, Cole?"

The man, Cole, nodded lightly as if the man on the line could've seen it. "Yes, I heard his conversation with his friend. Sounds like he is to me. However, sir, I have to ask again, are you sure that you wish to go through with this?" The man on the line was silent for a few moments which allowed Cole to get back to speaking. "I'm…not trying to question you or anything. You've always done things for a reason ever since I've known you. Though I'm just wondering if he needs _proper_ training first. And our enemies won't mobilize until-"

"Yes, I know, Cole," the man said, "but the way I see it, this is an opportunity that was given to us. It's best for us to use it to our advantage."

"Even if the kid doesn't know himself?" Cole rose an eyebrow when he asked this.

"He may not know…but it's not about him knowing. Not yet. We'll eventually cross that bridge but now, he needs to learn of his abilities at his own pace. Hehe, knowing him, he'll be doing that _proper_ training without us having to tell him too. Just let me know when he's inside the game. I'll take it from there."

"Sure, thing, Sir. I'll message you and let you know." He swiped the screen away, making it vanish before Cole got up and tailed Gwent through various crowds of people, easily making his intentions unknown while keeping his distance just far away enough.

* * *

Gwent had a very uneventful walk back to his home but it wasn't a boring walk. He was always interested whenever he walked out and got a look at the world around him. He remembered videos from a century in the past before the surprising discovery of cold fusion, which was basically the thing that had stopped their world from going on a downward spiral after oil began running out. During those times, people always speculated where the world would be in the next hundred years, especially since they were advancing pretty well with what they had at the time. Nothing super extravagant in comparison but anyone can claim that being able to create robotic prosthetic limbs, no matter the time, was a feat.

And in today's day and age, those with such limbs could claim to have real 'superpowers' if they wanted to be so crass. For one, the designs were so much sleeker and more tech-based yet barely showed much of that technology on the outside as to keep their semi-normal appearances, even going so far as to perfectly emulate the length, shape, and sie of a person's previous arm, leg, or even their eyes. Those with the arms had improved strength in the prosthetic(s) allowing them to do a thing like lift small cars. Those with the legs had improved speed plus leg strength, and you can imagine that those who had fake eyes allowed them to see much clearer than normal. The more expensive the prosthetic, the more 'perks' once could give them, within' reason of course. Examples being able to see infrared, heat signatures, or having night visions with one's fake eye(s) which can be controlled through simple thought commands. And even if some crimes did happen because of things like this, a plasma gun was _much_ deadlier than a chrome arm.

Besides the limbs and all other amazing advancements in medicine, they had things that people dreamed off in the past. Tall buildings that could practically reach the clouds, higher than any convention 21st century New York skyscraper, hovercars, boards, and bikes, and, as stated before, V.I's. and A.I's. Now, many people wouldn't be so amazed at these things in this day and age and for obvious reason for when one is living during a certain time. You get used to what is around you and take it as is, but Gwent just couldn't help but dive into the past and consider what a massive jump humanity took. Even though it's been 100 years, it might as well have been a 200-year jump, technology-wise.

He got a ping on his Holoband, which made him look at it. He brought up the screen and found a message from another one of his Japanese penpals and someone that he met over YGGDRASIL.

*Akemi-chan*

He smiled and as opened up the message and started to read.

 _*Konichiwa, Gwent! How have you been today? Good, I hope?*_

Gwent smiled as he looked at the simple message, especially at how she seemed to be enthusiastic. Akemi was someone Gwent had met in his earlier days when playing YGGDRASIL, his second friend after Gao, to be honest. Granted, he didn't really have a whole lot of friends to play the game with, especially since he was more of a solo player but she had helped him out on more than a few excursions, and he was even more impressed that she was an Elf in the game. Elf is one of the humanoid races who usually hunted his kind in-game but she was such a nice person who was friends with practically everyone. She even got him to cooperate with a guild of nothing but heteromorphs, even though he was strictly against playing in guilds.

Ainz Ooal Gown, the name of the guild with the guild master being an Overlord known as Momonga. They had a strict 'no humans' joining the guild and they didn't even play with other human characters because of all of their treatment at the hands of them. The only reason Akemi was allowed into the fold, even though she wasn't a member herself but a frequent guest, was because her older sister, Yamaiko, was part of the guild. Gwent can admit that their help was very appreciated on more than a couple of boss raids or dungeon delves, even if he butted heads with a small few of them, they were pretty chill.

Still, he'd much rather play with Gao or Akemi by themselves. Heck, sometimes, all three of them played together even though Gao never once worked with Ainz Ooal Gown and only had them mentioned to him. He was okay with that though, as Gao was someone who likes to get things done with a smaller group than 41 members, plus Akemi and Gwent. Even Gwent never showed his full hand to the guild either, in that they didn't know about all of his accomplishments in the past year and a half. Not that he was avoiding them but it was stuff he wanted to do on his own is all. You can only really enjoy everything around you in a DMMORPG if you're by yourself.

He jerked from his memories and replied back, through verbal reply, the words popping up on his screen.

" _Hey there, Akemi. I've been doing fine today. Think I just converted one of my closest friends to getting YGGDRASIL just a while ago and am now heading back home."_

 _*Oh, that's amazing! It would be fun to have more of your personal friends to play with, even if he would be starting from scratch. I always noticed how you seem to 'change' whenever we're playing with just us or with your friend, Gao, compared to Ainz Ooal Gown.*_

" _Well…I mean, he's also a close friend of mine and he helped me a lot. Same with you, Akemi. Nothing against the guild or anything but it's impossible to 'connect' with 41 people. Not to mention, I already don't wanna be in a guild anyway so it's a bit harder for me to cut loose in some situations 'cause I don't want them all to know what Korik or I have in our back pockets."_

 _*Hahaha! Korik, that's right. How is it that it's been 3 years and yet I can't get over the fact that you've made a Goblin for an NPC. Your ONLY NPC at that. You could've made anything else a lot more intimidating.*_

" _Hey, don't underestimate the Goblin. He puts in work and has come through quite a bit. It's better than having a bunch of NPC's in a guild and barely any of them even do anything, RP'ing or not."_

 _*Heeeey, I like some of the NPC's in Ainz Ooal Gown. Even if they...aren't really all that active or anything. But they aren't supposed to leave the guild with their creators like Korik does with you. They're-*_

" _-Supposed to stay and protect the tomb, yes, I get it. Anyway, I'm guessing you're messaging me because you wanna do some YGGDRASIL stuff?"_

 _*Yup! You got it! I talked to Gao and he won't be able to make it since he's got an akijujutsu tournament. So, it'll be me and you for the most part.*_

" _Don't wanna go to the guild, huh?"_

 _*Hey, I don't go to them ALL the time, you know? Besides, I think it'd be nice if it was just you and me playing together.*_

" _Ahem."_

 _*[Rolls Eyes] I mean the THREE of us. Seriously, you treat Korik as if he was another live person or something. I'm starting to think it's unhealthy.*_

" _Akemi, RPG's are all about imagination. If I wanna treat my companion like he's my best friend, I'm gonna do it. He doesn't have to talk or anything but I like to imagine that he listens and pay's attention to everything around him."_

 _*Oh, you're just so weird! Anyway, let me know when you're ready to get on the game! Surprisingly, Yamaiko is also busy so she won't be playing either.*_

" _Okay."_

He dismissed the screen as he continued on his trek home. Eventually, he came upon a white house that was three stories tall, complete with a driveway and a garage, where his car lay hidden behind the steel-mechanized doors where his vehicle lay hidden from the world. He strolled up to his door since he had no porch but a single step with a doormat, and undid his door with an electronic key. Said key wasn't actually a conventional 'key' but more like a miniature keycard instead. A green light flashed on his door before he pushed it open and then closing it behind him.

Air-conditioned wind assaulted him as he took in the breeze that washed over him. Granted, he was never bothered by heat all that much and would even wear his jacket out on a summer day like this but he didn't mind that at all. The living room was very spacious with a polished wood floor, a white table made from a sleek material that was non-scratchable and comfortable couches with a recliner chair of beige coloring around it. There were bookshelves filled with books he's read, which was amazing in of itself since most people did their reading digitally nowadays, but Gwent felt that bookshelves in the past gave rooms a more 'home' appeal to them. So, he got a few himself. There was no TV, at least, no visible one. That is because television was holographic.

Oh his wall, facing the couch parallel to it was a chrome rectangle frame that one could reach through and touch the wall behind it but if Gwent wanted, he could use his Holoband as a makeshift controller to his television, since his was keyed specifically to all of the TV in the house. This really gave rise to the slogan 'Holobands are omnitools.'

But he didn't spend any more time in there for he was walking up the stairs and heading to his room/main studio. When he made it to the top of the steps, he turned left until he reached the room at the end of the hallway. Opening that door, he graced his eyes to his master bedroom, completely adjusted to his liking in all things enjoyable. First was what made it a bedroom. To his left, again, was his bed, in red-colored sheets and an off-grey thick blanket with pillows in black cases. Despite it being a master bedroom, the bed looked like it was able to hold three people at the most. Gwent giggled to himself.

"Well, that and the people I managed to bring home with me."

Let it be known, Gwent was no virgin.

Just a few feet on the wall across from the bed was his personal bathroom, complete with a shower. On the wall to the left, a few feet from where the foot of the bed was, was a window that showed the outside perfectly. The fun, however, was on the right side of the room, where Gwent put his heart and soul into everything. The elephant in the room…the technological recliner that was by itself, close to the same wall the door was attached too but not touching it completely. Beside it, hanging from a mini stand was a helmet with an eye-visor and a mounted camera on the outside. The recliner was connected to the game YGGDRASIL, which Gwent was going to have fun within a minute.

On the wall parallel to that was a desk with another chrome rectangle frame complete with a mass of game cases in the three shelves under it. In front of that was a blue beanbag chair for him to plop his lazy ass down and chill on those video games. On the left of the TV and shelf was a very high-end looking desk-top that did not have a stupid-large hard drive but one that was the shape of a cube and the size of a small box sitting on the desk. The keyboard connecting to it would actually be fashioned from hard-light technology which was basically holographic-'touch' tech. There was also another helmet similar to the previous one but black and more angular, sitting on the opposite side of the desk.

The final thing was on the wall parallel to the only window in the room, where his art and design workspace was. Another monitor that could fold in on itself and be drawn on with a hard-light pen. There were shelves and mini bookcases beside the desk where he kept his various work. Comics, personal drawings, things like that. This was actually where he came up with a good majority of the designs for things he customized in YGGDRASIL. His character, his companion, Gwent, and the various clothes or items that game allowed you to change the texture of if one had the artistic creativity or imagination. Of course, anyone could do these changes in-game but Gwent felt more comfortable drawing out his vision first and he works faster with paper or on the computer in creating things then using game controls, no matter how complex and intricate they were.

Gwent placed the bag that contained his artwork on the chair where his workstation was. He took out the latest picture of his character that he drew and placed it on the table before leaving his bag there. Kicking off his shoes and removing his jacket, he got comfortable in his own environment before looking at the recliner.

"Alright. Ready." After sending a quick message to Akemi to let him know that he was going into the game, and then getting a reply, he grabbed the helmet connected a wire, which was also connected to the machine, into the back of it. He then placed the helmet over his head and then turned it on. He felt a small prick in the back of his neck as the helmet connected itself to his nerves. This was actually Mk. 2 of the original helmet, where one had to connect a wire directly into their neck and then connect _that_ wire to the helmet. Gwent much prefers this method where the helmet does most of the work and the connection to his brain stem was barely noticeable or dangerous.

He laid back as the words 'recording had begun' popped up in the left corner of his vision. Once said words vanished, he rose his hand and a few holographic windows came into view around it. He clicked the window that said YGGDRASIL and placed his arm at his side before his the scene before him changed. And he laid still in that recliner, consciousness fading from the real world, he was now looking at a dark void. Said void began to light up with a vast assortment of white lights before a tree, larger than large, filled up the whole of the space.

With a small flicker in his vision, he turned to the right to see a red being standing there. Gwent gave a big grin, as he did every time he saw said being. It was his demonic persona, Inariz Xorgran, and the thing that he was as close as he was going to get to be a real demon or any supernatural being with awesome powers. But he'd take what he could get. He reached out and touched him before a wave of code flew past his eyes, and just as quickly, it stopped. He saw a line above his head to indicate that the game was loading. Looking at his hands, he found they were not his human ones but red with white, sharp, claws.

His hands looked very strong, too. Looking over his body, took in his new appearance, being that he was now his demonsona and never stopped amazing himself at the perfectly sculpted work he put into creating this body. Now Inariz wasn't some super muscular demon but he had muscle where it counted. His biceps were strong and pronounced, he had pectorals and a muscle gut that wasn't fat at all. His legs were digitigrade with three toes on each foot, said toes being white claws as well. Then there was the triceps, which were perfect for kicking and the thick 5ft tail behind him. He reached up and touched his large white horns on his head, feeling a dull sensation, which was implemented so people could perfectly distinguish reality from the game.

His horns initially jutted outwards but then curved inwards, sort of like a bovine. Lastly, he had a snout, red eyes, black eyebrows, and black hair between his horns. It started wide and then thinned out until it was a line in the back of his neck while having a spiky appearance. The game finished loading and once he saw 100% in front of him and several icons appeared. He clicked the HOME button which was a triangle attached to a rectangle. It asked "Are you sure?" and he clicked the big YES button under it. Then a female generated voice sounded.

-Beginning entry.

-Please stand by.

After about 10 or 5 seconds of waiting, the world went dark for the last time before there was more light. Except, this light gave way to a location he found himself standing in. He found his clawed feet were on a wooden floor but very unlike his polished floor back home. It was the kind one would find at a tavern or old-school inn. He was actually in a wooden cabin once he looked around and saw the abode. He sighed in comfort as he took it all in; there were three doors in the one-story compact house. One door was for entry and the other two, which were closed were bedrooms. There was a fireplace on the wall across from him with no fire running and a bear-pelt rug before it. There were two comfy looking chairs with a makeshift couch between the two. There a few tables that held some items like a glass of flowers or the table near him to the left, where supper and other meals would be held.

There were, again, some bookshelves but nothing as extravagant in his home. They didn't nearly reach the ceiling but just about 1/4th of the walls. Behind him was a stone stove, where people slid food into the open hole and a small cook pot which had a smaller chair near it.

This was Gwent's cabin, something he created just for the sheer fun of role-playing. He always felt that, even in an RPG where your character usually does not require rest, food, or any necessities besides what you need for adventuring, you _always_ needed a place to call home. Or somewhere to go back too once you're done having your rounds against the rest of the world. And what better place to call home than a cozy cabin? Granted, it wasn't anything extravagant and, hell, it didn't have a second floor but it was definitely something Gwent poured his heart into making. Technically, he didn't 'live' alone either.

He went to the door and opened it up before he was greeted by sunlight hitting his features. It wasn't an unbearable kind of sunlight hitting his features. He would've smiled if his avatar would've shown the expression but he knew he was. He stepped out onto his small porch with a roof and gazed out at all of the greenery around him. His house was surrounded by thick and very tall trees, with various sounds of birds chirping adding more to the ambiance. This house was located on the outskirts of Midgard, which was basically the main world humans inhabited.

Was it smart for a heteromorph to have made a house out here, especially where human would no doubt dismantle it AND attack the two occupants staying in the house? No, it wasn't smart…but this location wasn't a normal one either. It was actually a separate space that was accessible only to the first person who entered it. If someone were to walk this way, they would go right through the illusionary space and not realize that there was anything here. To make it better, Gwent was the only one to decide who could enter and who couldn't, giving them 'visitor rights in a way'. Besides, Gwent is a LOT more powerful than a good amount of other people anyway, and with good reason.

"Gwent! Hey there!"

Gwent looked over to where the feminine voice came from as a smiley face emoji popped near his head. Closing the door behind him and walking down the steps, there were two beings in front of him. The first, the one where the voice came from was from the Elf woman. This woman stood at 5'5, which was a full 7 inches shorter than Gwent, who stood at 6'0, even in his avatar body. She had fair skin with blonde hair and a circlet with a green gem in the middle on her forehead. Her eyes were a baby blue and her ears were easy to see. She wore a green, hooded, cloak which was tied around her neck to stay in place.

She wore a black bra that was very good at hiding her cleavage, even though she had C-Cups. This showed off her toned belly, which didn't have highly visible abs. She wore a thin, black, dress that went to her knees and said dress opened at the front to display the green shorts she wore underneath. Around middle fingers were gold rings which had a blue, square gem in one and a red square gem in the other. On her back was a staff of polished wood that seemed to have several notches going from tip to tip. Between the notches were twisted vines.

The second being was the talked about Goblin NPC that was spoken of earlier, Korik. As with all characters in this game, facial expressions didn't change, so he looked pretty indifferent with a slight scowl on his features. Unlike the common goblin, who would stand at 2, maybe 3 feet, Korik was 5 foot even. His eyes were a unique shade of purple with tusks coming up from his lower lip. His pointed ears weren't really large but shorter and thinner, which was a trope among all very high ranking goblins. His right ears had two silver earings, in it. He had a scar between his left eye and ear, which Gwent put there for headcanon reasons after Korik was grazed with an arrow. He hair black, rugged hair that slicked to the back of his neck. Appearance wise, he looked closer to human, even though he obviously wasn't.

He wasn't decked out in heavy armor or weapons but he did wear black fingerless gloves with an ice-like metal plating on the back of them. He wore a chrome mesh armor, which hugged tightly against his impressive muscly arms and a black karate gi over that. There was a red belt around his waist and he wore black boots with the same ice-like alloy on the toes and on the bottoms.

"There you two are! Especially you, Akemi," Gwent said as he walked closer, "how ya' been lately?"

Akemi sighed, which actually fit the expression her avatar always had. Virtually, the look of someone who was going about their day and having no real features to show off but a frown emoji did pop near her head. "Busy, and I mean it. I had to do a very important entrance exam to get into this university I want to go to and I've been studying non-stop for a few weeks. After that, I had a karate tournament to try and get my black belt."

"Awesome job, Akemi!"

Akemi crossed her arms and gave Gwent a stare and he could feel her pouting at him. "And what if I say the exact opposite? I just said I was _trying_ to get it."

Gwent nodded and he knew that she could feel him smiling. "Aaaand, I also know that you're amazing at something whenever you just put your mind to it. And you've shown me videos of your karate practice, remember? I _know_ you got that black belt."

Akemi uncrossed her arms and laughed with a smiling emoji popping next to her. "I guess that makes sense….but please, drop the whole prodigy thing. Anyone can do what I can do if they try hard enough. Like...like math."

Gwent snorted and raked his claws through his hair. "Yeah, right. I tried my best in math class in college and I JUST passed. And in several situations when I was playing this game, I had to use my fingers or other methods for math situations. I can't math, Akemi. And the worst part of it is, Korik has seen me blunder like that a lot."

Akemi rolled her head to show she rolled her eyes. "I don't know WHY I put up with you and your insistence on talking about him like he's gonna give his opinion." She then noticed Gwent's state of the dress after looking back to him, having realized that he wasn't wearing….anything but a loincloth that seemed to work more like a fundoshi and wrap around his crotch. An eye-twitch emoji popped near her head. "And WHY exactly are you not wearing clothes….AGAIN?"

Gwent laughed and threw his arms back to stretch. "Because I love the feel of the breeze on me~." Seeing that he wasn't gonna get away with that at her deadpan, he just shrugged. "What? It's not like the game allows a character to remove all their clothing anyway. And it's not like I've done anything illegal and sexually assaulted, anyone. I'm just allowing my inner nudist to come out when I play this game," he slid in close and elbowed her side, "though I have to admit, you never cease to amaze me with your beauty, Akemi- _chan~_."

Akemi gave a small laugh and pushed him away, a sure sign that she was used to this kind of teasing. She also knew that even though Gwent was American, he never really used Japanese honorifics unless he was teasing others or being genuinely respectful to other Japanese players. "Well, Mr. Open Pervert needs to get through his horned head that this is just an avatar and fantasizing about it is creepy. Besides, I don't look anywhere near this pretty IRL. You know that."

"All the more reason to admire what's in front of me," though Gwent walked back over and patted her shoulder, "but don't get too bent outta shape. I fantasize about myself all the time."

She deadpanned. "Now that's just creepy."

"But it's not you so there are no problems." Gwent clarified for her.

"And this conversation is over. Look, let's just get to play, okay? And can you PLEASE put on some damn clothes!?" Akemi yelled, a blushing emoji popping up near her face as she pushed him away again. "Oh, and I suggest putting on something good. We're gonna be doing something pretty cool." Gwent laughed again and moved his finger in the air, making a menu pop in front of him. He went to his inventory and selected some of his equipment before pressing the equip button. In an instant, he was no longer nearly naked and wearing a full suit of armor with two large ultra greatswords on his back.

The armor was as black as night, with a kilt-like covering of the same over that ended at the thighs and looked partially ripped on the bottom. Embers wafted from the armor continuously while the armor accommodated Gwent's legs by having armor plating over his thighs and then around his feet, his toe claws showing through. The most noticeable part of this armor was the flaming eclipse that was on his chest. The greatswords that crossed over his back were a twin set and seemed to go hand and hand with the armor.

The handles were long and grey with hammer-like pomels. There weren't guards of any kind but a mass of black tendrils that were harder than steel and stood as still as stone. The actual blades themselves were gigantic and it seemed impossible for anyone to be able to lift them, each blade being as long as Gwent's body, cracked and ashen black as well, with the tips of the blades having a similar appearance to scimitar tips.

"My [Ringed Knight Armor] and [Ringed Knight Paired Greatswords]. Think this is good enough?" Gwent asked he showed off his gear to her. She's already seen it several times already, along with the guild of Ainz Ooal Gown, but he couldn't lie and say that it DID accentuate his demon features.

"I'm _very sure_ [Divine Class] gear is good enough for what I've got planned. I mean…look at me." She was right. The notched staff on her back and even some of her equipment were also [Divine Class] as well with the rest of it being [Legendary Class]. Akemi then turned around and turned her head to him, "now if you're ready, let's go have some fun!"

"Okay," Gwent said as they chose, what Gwent seemed to think was a random location at least, a random location and started walking. Korik followed behind his creator as well. "So, what are we gonna be doing?"

Akemi looked back to him. "I was playing a week ago and found out from some other friends of mine that there will be an event mini-boss that will spawn only here in Midgard, and only players who are Lv.90 and up can take part. There are two kickers though, that you won't believe. The first is only twenty people can enter it."

"What!? Just twenty people!? But a usual battle with an event boss is around twenty-five to thirty!" Gwent exclaimed with an emoji popping near his head to signify his surprise.

Akemi rose her arms and shook her head. "You know how the shitty-devs are. They just make up whatever rules they want."

"I still think calling them shitty is too good for them. Ugh, maybe I should wear my stronger armor just to be on the safe side?" Gwent shook his head and pouted before he looked at her," what's the second kicker?"

"Well…half of those 20 people, not including NPCs, HAVE to be heteromorphs or the event won't start." She heard Gwent give a highly obnoxious snort behind her and she could understand exactly why he did that. "I'm glad you get why that's a ridiculous requirement."

Gwent placed his hands on his hips. "Ridiculous? More like fucking _impossible_! Making an event in the heart of the humanoid territory that requires 10 heteromorphs? If this info is as hush as you say, which information in this game usually is, then not only would as few Humanoids or Demi-Humans as possible try to spread the word but they won't get any kind of heteromorph to believe that they actually needed them for an event. And telling them it's somewhere in Midgard, the home of humans, who usually want nothing more than to PK them for their own [Job Class] enhancements or items? Good luck. How long has this event been announced?"

"A month…and, including the two of us, we have just enough people for the requirements. I couldn't bring anyone from the guild into this because they'd NEVER agreed to it and I couldn't talk to you about it because while I knew you'd still be up for it, I wasn't sure people would be able to gather the numbers. Luckily, I do have more friends than just the ones in the guild. Or….more like acquaintances, I guess. But they aren't heteromorph PKers." Akemi explained.

"How'd they convince the other Heteromorphic's who will be there? Also, did ONLY humans and demi-humans get this message?"

"Possibly? I'm not sure of the finer details but even if heteromorphs DID know about it, they wouldn't show up. The more rational players would more than willingly skip on an event boss if it meant not getting jumped by a bunch of humans who didn't know about this event. And the same vice-versa. Humanoids would rather stock up on free items from heteromorphs coming in."

Gwent placed a finger to his chin. "And, it's a 20-man entry. It's like those dumb-fuck developers knew that the race they gave the shortest stick too wouldn't give any kind of fuck to do this event if they heard about it so they minimized the number of players to a more possible level. And even then, the number of heteromorphs required to enter? Just goes to show that they KNOW they screwed our race over and they're just laughing at it!" Gwent ended with a roar of anger.

She looked back at him and raised a hand. "I get how you feel. I was able to deduce that myself, too. But, in a way, I think this is their…well, I won't say _apology_ because it's not. It's more like they're throwing Heteromorphic's a bone for whatever this boss is. I say we get there as fast as possible. Me leading, of course."

"Okay!" The three of them began to run to their location I question.

A fifteen minute run later as they were overlooking a hill. At the bottom of the hill were a group of other players, who were all standing in either a very large pond or a small shallow lake. The land around them was as green as before but there were no amazingly tall trees and the water was surrounded on all sides by cliffs. Akemi pointed down to all of the players who were various races, with some NPC's.

"There they are!"They then ran down the hill and made their way to the group who took notice of them, some humans even waving to Akemi as they were probably the friends that Gwent was talking about, who was looking at the gathered group. Once they got into the water, which came up to their ankles, they got a much better view of everyone.

5 humans, 1 Ratman, 1 Orc, 1 Goblin, and 1 Minotaur. This was the group of 9 Humanoids/Demi-Humans that were in this event. Akemi would be the final one for 10 humans. As for the heteromorphs, there were 1 Fallen Angel, 1 that looked human but hiding its true form, 2 Demons of varying looks, 1 Werewolf, 1 Vampire, 1 Skeleton and 2 insect-people. Gwent would be the final Heteromorphic player in this line. Gwent took notes of the few NPC's that were there. Beside the Goblin, who looked like a druid as well from the ashen branch on his back and nature-based armor, was a human female, who seemed to have had an [Archer] build. The Minotaur, who was wearing white light blue and green-etched robes, had a second Minotaur beside him. This NPC Minotaur was female, and she was most definitely outfitted to be a warrior.

As he was analyzing the other people and non-people, Akemi was talking to 2 of the human girls and 1 human male. One girl appeared to be a [Ninja], the second girl was obviously a magic caster of some sort due to her magic staff in her hands, various rings, and her own robes. The male seemed to be a [Paladin]. Gwent didn't take much interest in their conversation and chose to mind his business…until some of the Heteromorphs walked over to him. This was the werewolf and one of the demons.

He was just as tall as Gwent, with midnight black fur. The Werewolf wore a cloak of the darkest night on his back and a scarf around his neck of the same color. He wore very high-grade looking dark gray light armor, gauntlets, and grieves. He had knives strapped to his legs, a short sword on his hip, and bow on his back. From this kind of build, Gwent deduced him to be a [Rogue] which was one of the best classes for a Werewolf in all honesty.

The other Demon looked significantly different than Gwent did, while also being a few inches shorter. While Gwent went full out to show-off his demonic, inhuman visage, this one DID have the look of a human. He wore very dark armor, had slicked-back black hair, a spiky black tail, and red horns that arched backward from his head. He had a large shield on his back and a large silver greatsword just under it, with the face of a skull in the guard.

Before he spoke, Gwent toggled his voice to that of his modified avatar's voice, instead of his usual one. His voice sounded deeper and gruffer as if he was a 35-year-old drill, Sargeant. "Uh….hey?" Gwent asked them in Japanese, wondering why they had approached him.

The two looked to each other before the werewolf pointed to him. "Hey, you wouldn't happen to be….you know. _That guy_ , right?" His voice had a slightly gruff tone, making him sound as if he was in his late 20s or early 30s. Granted, no one was too old for video games. The name for his avatar read Worgen.

"Um…elaborate, please?" Gwent asked. This time, the demon spoke his name reading Hathem.

"You're…the guy from the Helheim World Tournament, right? Your name kinda stood out. Inariz Xorgran? Aren't you, like, the freaking [World Champion] of the main realm for our race!?" He exclaimed a little bit, louder than he meant too. His voice was no doubt that of a young adult. This drew the attention of the others since they weren't all that spread away.

Gwent laughed a bit, a smiling emoji popping near him. He wasn't expecting that to come to light in such a manner. "I…wasn't expecting any fans or anything. Yeah, I'm THAT guy."

Worgen balled up his fists and threw his arms down, giving a small laugh. "We knew it! You ARE him! Man, we watched that tournament and saw how you were running through the competition! You were freaking unstoppable! And you're even wearing the same armor you wore back then! If you're helping us, then this is gonna be one kick-ass mini-boss!"

Hathem cupped his chin. "But…why aren't you wearing the armor you won from the tournament? Wouldn't it be best to always wear that gear, especially, for a boss?"

Gwent rose his hands and shook them. "Well, I don't like boating about my status to the non-heteromorph realms. If I did, then they'd just come at me in bigger waves each time I came to places like this. Well, the ones that try to PK me. So, I kinda just wear my [Divine Class] gear and let them think they got me. If I can take 'em out with my crazy abilities, then cool, but if not, I'll spring the armor on 'em. It's like my own personal joke."This got a laugh from them and even from the other heteromorphs. A couple of the demi-humans' laughed too while Akemi walked over and lightly bopped him on the chest.

"Okay, okay, that's enough boasting. We got a boss to fight." She said, which was when Gwent asked something he should've asked a while ago.

"Oh, yeah. Um…how is this boss even triggered? Do we wait or something?"

She didn't answer, for the [Paladin] she was talking too did. "We actually wade further into the water. Not too far but the water has to come to our knees, at least. That's when it'll start." He looked to everyone else. "Is everyone ready? Got your items ready and the gear you wanna use equipped?" He got a collection of agreements which had him turn his own head to Gwent. "If you really are a [World Champion], are you sure that you don't want to equip your armor? It would be the smart thing to be at your best."

Gwent nodded to him. "Yes, I sure. This isn't my first mini-boss and I've faced other without the armor. So, I'm unsure as to whether or not the gear is even needed for use." He reached back and grasped the handle of one of his swords. "Besides, even my [Divine] gear is special. When I'm wearing the set with the paired swords equipped, it makes an effect where they all get a buff to their natural skills. There's a chance that'll be good enough for this."

"Alright then," the [Paladin] said, "I'll take your word for it. I mean, you 'do' have more battle experience than me so who am I to argue? Alright then! Let's start!"

They all wadded deeper into the water and, like a switch, there was a rumbling roar in the distance. They looked up and saw a mass of black rushing through the clouds. The sound of powerful wing beats flapped over and over as the clouds were blown away. Flying down towards them at a ridiculous speed was….they couldn't believe it at all. They all collectively back-peddled as a massive quadrupedal figure landed in the deeper portion of the lake, the water coming up to its own knees. The beast was coated with black scales which were also highlighted in gold. The wings on it's back had a wingspan of 100 feet. It had a long snout, a red glowing gem in the middle of its forehead, golden slit eyes and 2 large horns on the back of its head.

The _mini-boss_ ….was a fucking DRAGON!

"SHITTY! FUCKING! DEVS!" Came the collective cry of those who weren't stunned at the sight of the beast, who was staring them all down like pieces of meat for it to snack on. Gwent was one of the stunned ones, honestly. He couldn't believe that the devs were THIS ballsy! Dragons were, literally, the hardest bosses in the games because of their MANY resistances, their MANY attack patterns, and their MANY areas of magic. There had never ONCE been a dragon mini-boss in existence! Now, he could admit that this dragon was much smaller than the conventional ones. Half the size, actually….but this was still crazy.

"We can't do this!"

"We're gonna get taken out so hard!"

"Dammit! Shitty Devs are more heartless than I thought they were!"

Multiple yells of anger rang through the lake while the dragon stood there. It wouldn't attack unless aggro'ed but that didn't make anyone feel better. They were preparing as much as they thought they needed but to prepare for a dragon with only 20 people and few NPC's? Now, this was just something else altogether and it was kinda getting on Gwent's nerves. He groaned and yelled to them, "Shut up! Come on, you guys! We should've figured the devs would be bitches and not play fair! I mean, they don't EVER play fair, right!? Also, look at the size of that thing! He's HALF the size of a normal dragon! Maybe he's got half everything else, too! Try to be optimistic here!"

They weren' looking to sure about that but Akemi piped up as she thought it over. "So…you mean, it isn't anywhere near as strong or as tough as a normal dragon? Just half of that?"

Gwent shrugged. "Hell, maybe LESS than half! It's a mini-boss required for 20 peoples of specific types. So, while I won't say it's not gonna be strong, it's most definitely not something we can't take out. We just gotta fight to our best abilities and seal this win…right, you all? It's too late to back out now. We're here and we're doing this."

Let it be known that Gwent wasn't one for motivational speeches. He was just talking from his own optimism, common sense, and irritation. He honestly didn't expect his words to do too much to ease their spirits, as long as he got them to stop complaining and start fighting. But, apparently, it did more than he was expecting. The Goblin player looked to him his….Gwent is just gonna call his weapon an Ash Branch, his Ash Branch, in his hands as he clenched it.

"You really…think we can win? I mean, not all of us are on your level, you know?"

If Gwent could narrow his eyes, he would be. "Hey, [World Champions] can die to dragons too. I won't get cocky and say I can do this myself. All those other mini-bosses, I fought? I never did it alone. I always had someone watching my back. And IF you need me to watch your, I'll do that, too."

The Goblin gave a smirking emoji and then laughed before placing his Ash Branch on his shoulder. "Well…damn. How can I speak against something like that? Guess we're doing this thing then. Thanks for the pep talk, Inariz."

"Just call me Gwent. And I just basically said to stop bitching. Don't thank me for it." Gwent said while removing his swords. This actually got the rest of them laughing a bit too. The goblin stopped laughing and nodded.

"Well, I'm Connor. My avatar is Concord."

"Both of your names are cool," Gwent said as everyone else got ready to fight. Those who cast magic began to apply as many buffs to themselves and their allies as Gwent walked forward. Korik was right behind him, as he looked behind him to the others. They nodded to him, showing they were ready while Gwent saw the bar of health and mana this dragon had, along with his name above the bar.

"Black Dragon, Kalameet, huh? You're going down." He said, simply as he waited for the buffs to finish. When it was all done, he gave a battle cry and ran forward with everyone else following behind him. Gwent and Korik since they were first, entered Kalameet's 'attack range' and thus, began the fight. Kalameet roared and rushed at them with a flap of his wings, mouth spilling flames of inky blackness as he got ready to blast them to kingdom come. Yet, at that moment, time seemed to come to a crawl…and before the clash happen a red magic circle appeared right under Gwent, who was currently in mid-jump, ready to slash at Kalameet with one of his swords. The magic circle then rapidly expanded, covering Gwent's vision in red before there was nothing else but the same visual sensation similar to when he entered the game.

Darkness.

* * *

Well, that's that. Chapter one of my newest story. Yes, it's, once again, OC centric. Yes, Gwent goes to the New World earlier than Ainz and yes, he does know Ainz and is on good terms with him. They ARE NOT best friends. Just on good terms. But don't be too grubby and expect Ainz to just pop in around the corner because this isn't about him. This isn't just 'OC in canon', I'm making a whole new plot down the line that isn't in the LN's or anime. It's my original thing. Now, Ainz WILL show up but don't expect that for a long time, because, like I said, this isn't about him. Also, If you paid attention to the year in the beginning, and learned of the year of YGGDRASIL's shut down, then Gwent is 10 years ahead of Ainz. So, you all better be in this for the long haul.

Also, if you wish to imagine Gwent's voice in his avatar body, then imagine Batzz's DUB voice from 'Futurecard Buddyfight X'.

Now, I'm signing off.


	2. Into the New World (L)

You all can say what you will about the first chapter but, I for one, am glad that I managed to drop it! And this chapter came up less than a week later? I guess that's due to the fact that I wanted Chapter 1 to get a bit of recognition before dropping the second chapter. Also, I DID leave off on a cliffhanger so it's best that I am able to rectify that by not having you lot wait too long, right? I personally, don't like cliffhangers, especially before something epic happens but I can see their need sometimes.

Honestly, there was just so much that I wanted to fit into the last chapter that I just couldn't. It was already too long and I kinda wanted to get it out as soon as I was able. Well, technically, as soon as I was able, of course. Anyway, think about it this way. Wouldn't it have been worse to enter the New World in the last chapter and THEN leave it on a cliffhanger? At least by starting fresh with a new chapter, you get the full package. Also, there were a ton of Easter Eggs in the last chapter. If you read the LN's, watch Buddyfight, OR play Dark Souls, then you should've been able to spot them all! Just know that I myself have just reached chapter 4 of the LN's and am on Season 3, episode 2, of the dub.

Anyway, to those of you who seem interested in this story, even knowing that it's OC centric without a shred of Ainz, thank you. I've had this idea cooking in my mind ever since I was introduced to Overlord from a very close friend of mine and to be able to actually write it out is amazing. Is Gwent taking Ainz's place? Hmmmm….in some notable and TECHNICAL cases, he will. But in others, he won't, else there would be no reason to bring Ainz in, which I plan on doing, 10 years in the future. He'll usually be doing his own thing as he goes through the NW. He's his own man, with his own goals, his own plans, and his own story that will eventually affect the New World. So, Ainz "plan" of ruling the world has no hope of coming true due to future events.

I've actually done artwork on it that I plan to rework just a tad. I drew Gwent in his [World Champion] gear and drew Korik as well but I don't release those yet. I need to draw Gwent as he currently is and will then release the first drawing later. The story has to catch up with the pictures.

Any new stats sheets, I'll see about drawing those as well, lol. You'll be able to find those on my DeviantART page but ONLY after I've actually CREATED them, of course. But if you still want to check out my DeviantART, my username is _ReyTakashi_ and I would greatly appreciate the support. Thank you very much!

WARNING! This chapter contains a lemon in it. Bold lines will be available for you to skip past it if you are uncomfortable with the content it contains. Chapters containing the (L) means there is a lemon in it.

 **Chapter 2: Into the New World**

Gwent's head was throbbing as he slowly but surely came to his senses. Or, at least, he did his best to come to his senses. Sound around him was muffled and he felt as if his mind was playing with a hula-hoop; God, it spun around so much. His head tried to copy the same action, he could feel it, but it was impossible for he could tell that he was lying on his back. All he could muster was a small groan, especially when he felt hands upon his chest, trying to shake him into full consciousness.

Whoever this person was, he could tell they were male, from the sound of their still muddled voice. He tried to open his eyes but closed them immediately as light poured right into them.

' _What….what was…that?'_ He thought to himself. All he could remember was being in that mini-boss fight…and before they could even start fighting Kalameet everything went red and…once again, the shaking and the voice calling to him. This time, he was more coherent as his brain slowly but surely began to work properly.

"…ss…oss…Boss…"

His eyes fluttered open again but carefully, as to not get all of that light in his eyes. When he could open them, he placed his arm in front of his face to block out the most of it. He then took notice of his arm, seeing that it was still covered in his armor…his [Ringed Knight Armor] to be specific. He was still the game. But what happened? He could tell that he wasn't lying in water….but on a flat surface, so he wasn't at the lake? Or did he take a serious blow from Kalameet and then they dragged him to shore. He chuckled a tiny bit, realizing that was dumb of him. Maybe he should've put on his [World Champion] gear after all. He was fighting a damn _dragon_ after all.

"Boss, you okay? Come on, you're scarin' me here!"

Again. Someone called him Boss again. Blinking fully, he sat up and rubbed his eyes. He groaned into his armored hand as he shook the remnants of the dizziness from his system. He sat up, laid his left arm over his left leg and spoke lowly.

"Who…is saying…?"

"Alright! I was hopin' you weren't totally out of it!" He fully came to his senses, especially when he felt a playful punch to the back of his shoulder. He turned his head and looked, finding Korik kneeling next to him. Except….his facial expression was different. He was grinning, showing off his amazingly pearly white teeth, had his eyes closed and was chuckling. "Should'a known better though what with how tough _you_ are, Boss!" Korik then opened his eyes and, his grin shrinking to that of a smirk.

Gwent's mind was going a mile a minute as he was watching the impossible unfolding in front of him. Was…Korik…. _speaking?_ Showing _new expressions_ even? But….but that was impossible! It was too difficult to give personality to NPC's, especially since they can be created from a technical infinite standpoint with even more of an infinite flavor text that people design for them. The latter fact alone was what made it hard to give NPC's personality, just like it was hard to give facial expressions to players who didn't pick human races. So, that excluded expression from the game entirely. Gwent didn't even realize that his mouth had dropped open and he stared at the now _alive_ Goblin. Said goblin blinked before lightly backhanding him.

"Aniki! Snap out of it, will ya'!? What's goin' on with your brain?" Korik yelled the first sentence to him before asking in a concerned tone in the second sentence. Gwent had another revelation. He _felt_ that slap! It didn't hurt…but he could feel the full effect of his skin getting hit. The feeling of Korik's gloves on said skin too. He reached up to rub the spot where he was backhanded and took note that he felt the heat of his armor. He opened and closed his mouth, _feeling_ that as well. He could even move his tongue over the fangs in his maw, feeling each passing of the oral organ.

"Holy…shit…"

Was this still YGGDRASIL?

He shook his head again and slapped both of his cheeks at once, but harder. Not too hard but hard enough where he could definitely feel the sting on his face and the metal-covered hands hitting him again. Nope. Still real. His eyes then shot up as he looked to Korik.

"Wait a sec, Korik. What did you just call me again?"

Korik rose an eyebrow. "What? Aniki? You know that's Japanese for basically 'Boss'. Guess whatever the hell happened to use must've conked your head something good for you to be spazzin' like this, Boss."

Gwent gasped a bit as he tried to focus on everything that was happening and what HAS happened. He stood up, taking note of his newly shaped legs. He found it impressive that he felt as comfortable standing on his new feet as he did IRL. He looked around the area that they were both in, Korik standing up as well. They weren't anywhere near where they were previously. There was no water surrounding them at all, like how the lake was previously. Except they were in the forest. It wasn't a thick one and the trees weren't as tall as the tree's where he built his wooden cabin in Midgard. Those trees were at least 100 feet but these seemed to be just about half the size.

Sunlight shone through the treetops and Gwent could see that the tree leaves weren't dense at all. He could see the sky and the few clouds that drifted past.

"Y-Yeah," he said slowly, "you _do_ know Japanese. Just…forgot for a moment is all." He then looked back to Korik who was smirking at him. He also remembered that he put in Korik's flavor text that he would address Gwent as 'Boss'. At least him remembering that also made sense too.

"Well, it's thanks to _you_ that I'm fluent in it, after all. But enough about my language skills. Are you feeling better now, Boss? Because, uh…I got no clue where the hell we even are." Korik scratched the back of his head as he blinked in a confused manner. Gwent finally took notice of his follower's voice, which was a bit lighter than his in tone and not as deep but gruff in his own tone. He had to admit, he sounded pretty cool and he still couldn't get over the fact that he was _alive_ but that was just one mystery. Korik had a point. Where the hell were they?

Gwent reached up to feel the handles of his swords. Great, they were still there so at least no one came around and tried to take them. Granted, he still didn't even know if he was in the game and one couldn't just take someone else's items. They had to be PK'd for that and even then, there was no guarantee that the PK'er would get his swords.

"Let's see," Gwent cupped his chin, "we…were about to fight Kalameet and then there was…there was-"

"A red flash?" Korik piped up. Gwent turned to him while the goblin crossed his arm and nodded. "Yup. I remember that too. Then we're here. I woke up first and then woke you up."

Gwent's eyes opened as he looked around again, but this time for something specific. Well, more so someone. "Ah! Akemi! Is…is she around here!?"

Korik's eyes then went wide as he grabbed his own head, cursing his own forgetfulness. "Shit! You're right! I wasn't even _thinking_ about her! Maybe she IS close…right? I mean, she was behind us when that light came outta nowhere."

Gwent then asked the biggest question. "Is this even YGGDRASIL or are we in another…world? And I mean, completely separate from it?" On the inside, he was geeking out a lot. This was EXACTLY something that happened in anime or manga! The guy plays a game and gets sent into said game! Except…YGGDRASIL was a DMMORPG so he technically WAS in the game. So…Is this the REAL YGGDRASIL and NOT the game or is this really a sort of new world?

Korik shrugged. "I'm not sure. Something…does feel different but I can't place it. But we can figure it out later! Let's go and try and find Akemi-chan!"

"That's…gonna take some getting used to," Gwent said before they began to walk to a random location, Korik confused by what he meant, silently wondering if his boss was as okay as he said he was, but decided to ponder it later. "If anything, walking _somewhere_ is better than staying in one spot, getting confused at where we are."

Korik nodded. "No, kidding. Do we have any way to get in contact with her?"

Gwent hummed and had a few ideas. "Let me see." He rose his hand in front of him and waved downward a little, trying to bring up his menu. But…nothing came up. His heart began to beat just a bit faster as he tried a few times and realized that there was no menu.

' _Holy hell! If there's no menu then…maybe this isn't the game after all! It's dumb to chalk this up to some kinda malfunction or glitch as the menu is one of the most integral things about YGGDRASIL and it's always constantly updating with new things or tweaks to certain problems. Fuck, my Japanese-speaking Goblin NPC is walking around and talking to me for Christ's sake! Wait a minute, I've still got my [Ringed Knight Set] on…but how can I access my inventory with no menu!? Do, I even HAVE an inventory anymore!?'_

"I wonder if anything from YGGDRASIL made it's way over to wherever we are. Hey Korik, do you know if we still have access to everything we've ever collected in our inventories?"

Korik gave a nervous chuckle as they walked. "I, uh, was actually gonna ask _you_ about that boss. I haven't a clue."

"Well…I mean…" Gwent tried to find the right words to use in this situation but was coming up a little short. They came here fully clothed in what they were wearing, right? So, that means that there was at least a chance that they still had the rest of their possessions. Gwent made a fist and grunted. "Okay, I've seen situations like this before. I think…this is one of those things where you just have to _think about_ it and it'll happen."

Korik tilted his head. "Think about it? Think what, exactly?"

"Our inventory's. It's worth a shot." Korik then stopped walking, his companion right beside him. He took a breath and held out his hand again but this time, he began to extend it as he imagined himself reaching for his [Infinite Backpack] and the contents inside. "Okay…I want to get into my inventory." The thing that happened surprised him as a small dark portal opened up as he reached his hand through it. "Whoa! It worked!" He exclaimed as he felt around the portal as if his hand dipped through the surface of a lake. What was even cooler was that he had an instant awareness of everything that was inside.

' _Holy shit, I collected an assload of things over the years…and this is just the ONE bag! I'm not even counting my other ones!'_

"Boss, where'd your hand go!?" Korik exclaimed.

Gwent gave him a look. "Inside this portal. It's where our inventories are."

"Really," Korik wondered, "Looks like your hand just vanished to me. Let me try. So…I just think about it and…" He reached his own hand forward as his own portal appeared in front of him and he felt some of the belongings he had as well, making him laugh in jubilation. "Hahaha! So, _that's_ what you meant! I got it now!"

Gwent gave a big grin. "And I see what YOU meant too! It's like your hand is gone!"

Korik scratched his head with his other arm. "Damn. When the hell did I get so much shit piled in here?"

"Right!? Isn't that the truth!?"

They shared a few more laughs at their recent discoveries before pulling out something random. In Gwent's hand was a fresh red apple, while Korik was holding the same thing. They looked to the other's apple and grinned before taking large bites. Gwent's tastebuds were astounded at the taste of the fruit as he was sure that he had never had an apple that sweet before! Was it due to food supposedly being created to perfection in the game now made real? Whatever the case, he was sure loving these new changes at the moment.

The two of them finished their apples entirely, even eating the cores, though Gwent told Korik to keep the seeds in their inventory's. There was no real reason but it defeated a trash can, defeated eating them, and defeated throwing them on the ground to never be planted. At least, this way, they might find a use of having to plant the seeds somewhere if they needed too, and it'd be impossible to forget they were in there now, what with their inventory's allowing them instant recall of all their items.

"Well, that's one mystery solved," Korik started, "but no closer to us finding Akemi."

"Hold on. I got an idea." Gwent reached into his [Infinite Backpack] again and pulled out a bronze ring. "I'm no magic caster so I can't use spells but I'm thankful that I have this thing." The [Ring of Message] one of the hand-held items some non-magic casters could get their hands on so they would not have to use [Message Scrolls]. Granted, the only non-magic casters who could use magic items were those who had special [Skills] or racial traits that allowed them to do so. Though, since the scrolls were very easy to obtain, people tended to prefer to burn through their supply of them instead of selling them, since they only amounted to 2 Gold.

Putting the ring on, he then placed his palm against his head, or at least as much as he could while watching out for his horns. He was trying to call Akemi to see if she was indeed 'somewhere' around or anywhere for that manner but he didn't get a sound. Just an uncomfortable feeling of, what he assumed to be the 'magic line' or something like that, reaching out to grasp another line but nothing was connecting. He huffed and canceled it.

"Nothing."

"Trying to call her?" His Goblin companion asked and Gwent just nodded."Good attempt anyway. I'd still like to think that she's somewhere with us though. Maybe she's still knocked out too or can't call back for whatever reason."

Gwent grumbled at that thought. He knew that both of those scenarios were entirely possible yet he couldn't help but think the worst too. He didn't know _what_ could count as _worse_ in of itself but there are definitely inconvenient scenarios. Maybe the [Message] spell didn't work in this… _New World_ , he figured he'd call it for now. At least until he got confirmation on this world. Either the real YGGDRASIL or literally another planet. Maybe she was too far away for it to work, even though [Message] worked exactly like a phone call. All it took was one person to 'call' and the other to receive.

"Let me try someone else. I'll see if I can get Connor." Even though he had met the Goblin player for only 5 minutes or so, he had quickly taken a shine to him and couldn't help but feel concerned for the guy. He definitely would like to meet up with him…if he was in this New World that is. "[Message]".

Placing two clawed fingers to the side of his head he waited for the dial tone…but the same uneasy feeling came back. Nothing. No sound and most certainly no response. He narrowed his eyes and growled in a tone even deeper than his now, apparently permanent, voice. Yes, he tried to swap his voice back to normal as they walked and he turned up unsuccessful.

Korik felt the same kind of unease as he furrowed his eyebrows. He grits his fanged teeth and sighed. "Him either, huh? I'm not feelin' good about this Boss. I even was growin' to like that guy. His partner was a cutie too."

Gwent deadpanned and stared down to him. "Korik, this isn't the time to be thinking about that kind of stuff…but you're right though. She WAS very cute. Not as cute as Akemi-chan though."

Korik smirked a bit and snorted. "I think she'd kick ya' in the groin for saying that, even if it's the truth."

They chuckled a bit, somehow finding a way to make light of this situation. It was pretty refreshing for Gwent at least. Korik coming to life was, so far, one of the things he needed to really calm him down after the shock fully wore off. And he was turning out to be everything Gwent wanted him to be if his flavor text was anything to by. Still, that knot of unease was in the pit of his stomach and he was honestly scared to try and message someone else, only to not get a call in return.

Gwent got back to walking again and Korik followed, staring at the ground as he walked. "Guessing Worgen is out of the picture too, huh?"

Gwent shook his head. "Honestly, I'm too worried to try anymore. At this point, I don't even know if [Message] even works."

Korik thought about that before he reached a hand to the side of his head. Unlike Gwent's ring, one of Korik's earings was enchanted with the [Message] spell. Gwent noticed this and wondered who he was going to try and call. The Goblin's next words came as a surprise to him.

"[Message] Boss." Gwent's heart (did he still have a beating heart as a demon?) skipped a beat as a felt some sort of 'line connect to his mind and a dial tone lightly ringing in his mind. He then placed two fingers to his head and thought of 'picking up' which he did. Korik gave a grin and nodded his head.

"Seems like it works after all," Gwent heard in both his mind and right beside him, "so, this just means that something must be stopping us from getting in contact with them. There's a silver lining here, Boss!" He then removed his hand while Gwent smiled and removed his fingers, both of them ending the message. He lightly punched Korik in his shoulder.

"You little genius! What would I do without ya', buddy!?"

Korik beamed at the praise and rose his arms, flexing his VERY impressive muscles through his mesh under armor. "Go crazy at not seeing the muscles on this bod every day."

The Demon rolled his eyes playfully. "Oh, ha-ha."

Korik then shrugged before lightly punching him back in the side. "Hey, you're the one who liked to compliment me on 'em."

Gwent blinked a little. _'He remembers me doing that?'_ Deciding to dwell on that some other time, he smirked and lightly slapped his back with his tail, finding it pretty cool to actually feel and control a thick and prehensile tail like that. "Well, I created you strong, you know?"

"Maybe you DID create me but _these_ bad boys," he made another pose, bringing his arms to his chest and flexing his biceps and back, "this is from all the adventurin', trainin', and fightin' we've been doing these past few years! Manly hard work! Not even Connor was _this_ built!"

Gwent gave an approving nod, very interested in the display Korik was giving. He definitely didn't create an ugly Goblin. "And there, I give you points. He was built nicely but his body was definitely a lot slimmer than yours. I guess you can call Connor toned. Not buff."

"Toned is a good word to use," Korik said as he finally stopped his posing but then frowned as his ears twitched, "whoa, I'm hearin' somethin' Boss." When he spoke, his voice got a bit lower to indicate that it was time to stop goofing around for the moment and act like the adventurer he has grown to be. Gwent knew that even though Korik's ears weren't anywhere near the size of a normal Goblin's and were more narrowed and smaller, his hearing was just as, if not, acuter than normal ones. He also clammed up too, taking heed of Korik's advice as the two of them quickly moved too and squatted behind some large and thick shrubs.

The Demon looked at the Goblin. "Do you hear people?"

Korik nodded. "Yeah. Sounds like…4 of 'em. All of them male. And…I can hear the rattling of metal as they walk so they must be wearing armor."

Gwent nodded once more. "Humans?"

"Now that I can't tell without actually seeing them." He turned his head slightly so his eyes could shift up to his boss' face. "But if they are, you thinking we're still in Midgard, and in turn, YGGDRASIL?"

Gwent thought it over for a little. Midgard IS the main hub for human characters and while they did spread out to other worlds too, you mainly saw Demi-Humans there as a replacement. Muspellheim, Helheim, and Niflheim were the three main worlds the Heteromorphs stayed the most so you wouldn't find humans there at all. Granted, even if it were humans that walk by, he couldn't just chalk it up to them still being on Midgard. This brings him right back to them being in a New World or this being the real YGGDRASIL but he didn't think they were in the actual game anymore. The proof was standing right next to him after all, as well as his own body…granted, he did learn that they still had their inventories.

Not just that but [Message] works, meaning that everything they have in their possession should work the same as well. He groaned a bit and rubbed his temples. "Dammit. I wish I had more concrete answers. YGGDRASIL, a New World, I don't even know, Korik. We'll just have to take what comes to us and work with any kind of info we can get our hands on."

"Good plan," Korik said with a nod before he patted Gwent and shushed him, "they're coming. Let's peak." He said in a whisper.

They looked through the bushes with only their eyes showing as footsteps, voices, and the shuffling of metal became more apparent. When they came into view from the treeline, they realized that it was humans after all. Two of them seemed to be wearing heavy steel armor. One had a greatsword on his back made of the same material and the other had a sword at his hit and a shield on his arm.

The other two males were noticeably shorter than the first two. They wore leather armor with a small mix of iron armor as well on top of them which were worn as chest plates, bracers, and grieves. One had two daggers at both hips and the other one had a bow on his back with a quiver of arrows, that seemed to have been half empty. All of their armor had some scuffs on them but nothing too serious for injuries on them. If that wasn't enough, they all wore silver plates around their necks.

Gwent chose this moment to pat himself on the back with the kind of build that he decided to go for his avatar. While he did make sure to prioritize being a [Warrior] is most areas, he couldn't calm the hardened RP'er that he was at heart and picked three classes that had nothing to do with combat at all, at least not directly. Those classes were [Blacksmith], [Armor Smith], and [Cook]. The first one had 10 levels of investment while the other two had 5, but the focus was currently on the first two.

[Blacksmith] and [Armor Smith], when ranked up to level 5, allowed for the passive abilities, [Crafter's Intuition]; both of them had this but only for their respective class, which made them [Crafter's Intuition: Blacksmith/Armor Smith]. When combined, this allowed him to see the make of certain classes of weapons and armor and even if they had enchantments on them.

So, he saw in his mind how the three with blades all had enchantments on their weapons to make them remain sharp and never rust. The one with the bow had an enchantment on it so that all arrows fired were strong enough to punch through iron itself. None of their armors were enchanted though. Gwent thought it was pretty trippy how he just _knew_ what those weapons were enchanted with instead of seeing a box of information hanging over said weapons which just explained what they did. But this was cooler anyway. Another thing he _knew_ was that all of those weapons were under Lv.20, being around Lv.15 at most. Lv.13 at the least.

"It's humans, after all, Boss," Korik said in a whisper, "what should we do?"

Gwent studied the humans as the one holding the greatsword laughed, and pretended to make a swing with an invisible sword by cupping both of his hands on a handle of air. "Did you see the way I just cleaved that freaking Ogre in half? Had no damn chance!"

The one holding the bow rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah, we heard you already for the 5th time in a row. You do remember that it was a TEAM effort, right? There's no way in hell you could've beaten that thing alone without the rest of us. I mean, I stopped its movements by pelting it with arrows."

The male with the daggers grasped the handles and chuckled. "I got in there and sliced up it more vital parts."

The man with the sword and shield held up the shield attached to his arm. "And I was saving your ass for when you got too damn cocky. That thing almost crushed you with its damn club about 3 times."

The guy who had the greatsword just huffed and turned his head. "Who the hell asked you guys anyway?"

"No one," the sword and shield-man said, "but if we don't pull you back to the world, then you'll fly off with your big head."

He and the other two laughed a little bit while the greatsword wielder blushed in embarrassment while growling at them. Gwent wondered how he should proceed right now, as he watched them walk by. If these were other Players, then they were very low-level to have such basic equipment as well as having to team up against an Ogre. He was never one to pick fights with humans characters in the first place. And no one would want to fight weaker opponents anyway.

But then, there was something telling him in the back of his mind, that these could be humans in this New World he was in. And he didn't know how someone of the Heteromorphic variety was taken. And would they attack Gwent if they saw him too? All he knows is that he needed information of some kind and he couldn't afford to let that slip by. So, he tried a different approach. Reaching into his inventory again, he pulled out a dull silver ring with three circular formations at the top. The farther two had diamonds embedded in it while the middle had a lustrous pearl in the middle.

This item was one of Gwent's favorites and wasn't a highly known ring either, even though it was only [High Class]. This was the [Untrue Dark Ring] and Gwent used it many times when encountering others who tried to PK him throughout the years. It allowed non-humans to gain a human appearance. If the user had a tail, it wouldn't appear, same as with any other inhuman features and they gain the body of one until the ring is removed. This ring is perfect to use in YGGDRASIL for it completely hides one's race and stats and make them relative to what they would be at a human's strength, effectively 'camouflaging' their stats. Upon entering a fight, the effects of the ring vanish.

Gwent decided to try something else out first and swap out of his [Ringed Knight Gear] into some low-level armor as well, and this was thanks to the [Quick-Change Crystal] he had embedded into a good amount of clothing, gear, and weapons on his person. They weren't very expensive and it was much less time consuming than going through his inventory all the time. He now wore high-grade steel armor as well, [Armor Smithed] to the absolute limit by someone who WAS maxed out in that stat and had another ultra greatsword on his back….which is what he dubbed it. The [Ultra Greatsword]'s blade was 5 feet in length accompanied by the grey handle with the round pommel, which was also an entire foot. A collective measure of 6 feet but the blade was also an entire foot wide before tapering at the tip.

The size of the greatsword the human had was a whole foot shorter and 6 inches thinner. Gwent loved a lot of weapons but there was a VERY special place in his heart for power swords like this. Something that no-one could properly wield in real life or even in YGGDRASIL without the proper strength stats but he could, as he built his character to be able to. With his new equipment on, he placed the ring on his pinky finger and his form shimmered before it turned into a human form.

Korik looked at his appearance and gave a small whistle. "Lookin' pretty hot, Boss~ Never knew you could pull off the human look so well~"

Korik pulled out a small mirror from his hammerspace and showed it to Gwent who was amazed at his reelection. It was HIM! The REAL him! His human appearance was the disguise, unlike the basic one he had before that he didn't put a whole lot of effort into, as long as it was passable. He had to admit, he always thought he was pretty hot as a human and loved that Korik did as well. It was fun traveling with someone who had great taste.

"Fuckin' weird…" He mumbled to himself but then remembered what he had to do. "Korik, stay here. I'm going to try and get some information."

"Got it."

With that quick reply, Gwent slowly stood and shuffled from the bushes, making the other men turn around in alert. They weren't expecting to see another guy in full plate steel armor with a….even the greatsword wielder had to admit that the sword he was toting around was pretty ridiculous in size that it made them think that this guy was losing his mind if he thought that he could properly use that.

"And just who are _you_ , pal?" The man wielding the sword and shield asked, right hand on the hilt of his weapon just in case this newcomer was hostile. Gwent turned his head and 'noticed' them before he gave a bit of a laugh while rubbing the back of his head.

"Oh, man! Finally, there are other people! Guess I really lucked out!" Gwent had no issue pretending in this situation. Technically, he was acting how he usually does but with a mix of RP thrown in by playing pretend. He didn't know exactly what these people are and what they did but he was sure that he could work around that information once he got it.

Taken aback by his happy-go-lucky attitude, the guy with the dual knives took a step forward. "Didn't you hear my companion? He asked who you were."

Gwent blinked and then patted his fist in his palm. "Oh, yeah. You did ask me that. Well, um…how about I'll tell you my name if you tell me yours? That seem fair?"

The four of them looked to one another, not sure how to proceed in this conversation. They were just coming back from a quest to slay an Ogre and now they came across a random man. They thought he was an adventurer at first but they didn't see a plate around his neck, unlike they did. Sword for hire then? Voicing these ideas among themselves, they decided that there would be no real harm in telling him.

"Fine then. Guess that's fair," greatsword-man said first before pointing a thumb to himself, "The name's Gunther Battleborn."

As they introduced himself Gwent decided to take in their appearances as well. Gunther was 5'10 and the tallest of the group as well as the largest. He had blonde hair reaching to his shoulders and some small scars on his angular face while his skin was tan. His eyes were brown.

Sword and shield were up next. "I'm Lance Lenel."

Lance was shorter than Gunther by an inch or so yet he wasn't as big as the man. He had short blonde hair that was slicked back and softer features. He was also Caucasian in appearance and he also had brown eyes as well.

Next was the one with the knives. "Milo Hiyura."

Then the final one with the bow spoke. "I'm Otto Hiyura."

Milo's hair was a mix of cut and not cut. The sides were buzzed but he had a small, slicked mohawk of brown hair and stood at 5'7, same as Otto and both of their skins were Caucasian. Otto's hair wasn't cut but it was also slicked back. Both of their eyes were green. And judging from their last names, they are brothers.

Gwent nodded at the knowledge of these people and them smiled as he gave his own name. "My name is Gwent Bane and it's great to meet new people." He then blinked and slapped his forehead, as if he just remembered something. "Duh. You asked me what I was doing? I was finished doing a job and wanted to take a shortcut through this forest." He sighed and dropped his head. "I got lost."

The other four sweatdropped at Gwent, not knowing how to take this. It was definitely a little humorous that he was acting so…simple? Childish? Both of those words could equate to him in their minds. Gunther, feeling a lot LESS tense now, chuckled and crossed his arms. "A job, huh? We just came from one ourselves. The life of an adventurer, and all that."

Gwent raised an eyebrow. "Adventurers?"

Otta grabbed his plate between his thumb and index finger and raised it up. "Obviously. Haven't you noticed the plates? We're Silver Rank adventurers. Not the best but we're definitely no slouches either."

Gwent now got what those plates were. A ranking system for 'adventurers'? He knew the term, as did anyone who played a lot of RPG's but it wasn't one used in YGGDRASIL, same as using metal to determine a rank for someone's abilities. _'More and more, I'm proven that we're in a New World.'_

Gunther rose an eyebrow at his expression, mistaking his thoughtful look for one of confusion. "Are you…confused? Don't you know what an adventurer even _is_? I mean, I'm guessing you aren't once since you don't have a plate, so what does that make you? A Sell-Sword?" He asked, leaning forward while Gwent looked to him and shook his hands a bit.

"Uh, sorry if I seem pretty clueless. I'm new to this country, you know? So, no, I haven't really seen too many adventurers. But yeah, I'm a mercenary. I think it fits me pretty fine as a profession and I haven't complained about it all that much."

Gunther poked his lip out a bit. "Hmmm.., well, you do have weird colored eyes. I've never seen anyone with red eyes before…unless…" he grips the handle of his sword, "you aren't some Vampire, are ya'?"

Confused by the question, Gwent grabbed his upper lip and raised it, showing his non-fanged teeth. "See? No Vampire here," he let go, "just got red eyes. It runs in the family. But, like I was saying, I'm _new_ to the concept of adventurers and even the name of this country escapes me from time to time. Uhh…the..?" Gwent goaded up, putting a finger to his chin and looking up in thought, like a child in school, who thought he knew the answer to a question.

This made the other four sweatdrop again. _'He's really scatterbrained.'_ They thought before Lance cleared his throat, getting Gwent's attention.

"The _Re-Estize Kingdom_ , Gwent?"

Gwent snapped his fingers and laughed. "Yeah! That's it! Thanks, Lance!"

"Um….sure. I'm surprised you don't have a map."

Gwent clapped his hands together. "You…wouldn't happen to have an extra, would you?" Milo reached into a pack that he had attached to his waist and pulled out a rolled up piece of paper. Gwent grinned and walked over before taking it.

"That should be enough to help you out. It's not a map of the world or anything but for Re-Estize, it should help know your way around 'The Kingdom'…and out of this forest."

"Unless you want to come with us back to town. We can show you the way." Otto offered but Gwent just shook both his and Milo's hands after pocketing the map.

"Oh, you guys are so nice! But don't worry, I won't learn if I don't figure the way out myself! So, that's what I'll do! But I do hope that I get to see you guys again."

He stopped shaking their hands, both of them not really surprised at the strength of his grip and their nursed their sore digits. Gwent was about to do the same to Lance and Gunther but they just chuckled and rose their hands to their chests, silently telling him he didn't need to do that again. Gwent nodded with a big smile and turned around. "Alright then! I may not understand adventurer's still but if we meet out on the field, I wouldn't mind helping out."

"Likewise." Said Gunther. "And you can also tell me why you have that fucking, crazy-sized sword."

Gwent shrugged. "Eh, no real reason. I just love ultra greatswords."

Gunther's head leaned forward and his eyebrows rose, having never heard the term before. "The _hell_ is an _ultra_ greatsword!?"

Gwent didn't bother replying as he waved his hand, like a kid being dropped off somewhere by their parent. "Byeeee!" He turned and ran off, holding the map in the air and giving a 'whoo!' of elation. Even though they did not know of the term, the team of Gunther, Lance, Milo, and Otto felt as if they had just been trolled something heavy and by a man-child no less.

* * *

When he was a significant distance away, Gwent stopped his running and came to a full stop, not even winded in the slightest. Korik jumped down from a tree and landed in a crouch, right beside him, with ease. Standing up, he then began to laugh and laugh pretty hard at Gwent's earlier display. It was so out-of-nowhere that Gwent couldn't stop himself from laughing a bit either.

"What's so funny, dude?"

" _You_ were funny, Boss! Like, what the hell was that!? Hahaha! Y-You were actin' like such a goofball! More-so than usual and those _expressions_ on their faces were just….hahahaha! I bet even Akemi-chan would be laughin' her ass off if she saw all that!"

Gwent dropped the disguise while also laughing along with Korik. He had to admit, even though that was how he usually acted, at least with his closest friends at times, he admitted that he piled it on a bit more though. It was a common trope that he had seen in a lot of manga and anime, where someone who was usually smart would act like a goofball to cover up their real personality. Sometimes, they would even take on a disguise but, again, that only happened sometimes.

Gwent managed to calm down a little and smile to Gwent. "Guess I've gotten into it a bit more than I was expecting!"

Korik closed his eyes and grit his fangs, failing to control his laughter. "You should act like that a lot more when you look like a human! Hahahaha!"

After sharing a few more rounds of laughter, they managed to gain control over themselves while Gwent held up the scroll for them both to see.

"So, that's a map of our immediate area?" Korik asked while Gwent nodded.

"Yeah. Not a whole lot of info and it's apparently not a map of this world but it's something. That's good enough for me." He grabbed the scroll with his other hand as well and then unfurled it. Getting to a knee, he made sure that Korik was able to lean over and look at it too. While they could definitely see expertly drawn landmarks and locations, there was a major problem that they found all too quickly.

Korik's mouth hung open a bit as he blinked. "The fuck…kind of language is this…?"

"I…don't know," Gwent admitted, just as lost. The language that this was written In wasn't English and it wasn't even Japanese. In fact, he had no idea what kind of language this could potentially be. He may not have been able to read every language on Earth or anything like that, but he's seen enough of certain languages to get familiar with their characters or placements. Arabic, Chinese, Korean, Spanish, Latin, freaking Estonian…but he didn't get this at all. "Do they speak a different language here?"

Korik scratched his head. "But those guys were speaking English…right?"

"Sounded like English to me. I mean, back in YGGDRASIL, I was able to speak English around Akemi and even with the members of Ainz Ooal Gown but I usually swapped to Japanese with anyone else. And we both know they weren't speaking Japanese."

"But how can they speak English if they don't have the essential alphabet for it?"

Gwent sighed and plopped to his butt. He growled in annoyance, the end of his tail slapping against the ground over and over in frustration. He didn't realize that he began to lightly cave in the grass and dirt from the force of his strong tail. The more his confusion and frustration at the situation grew the faster his tail went. Korik sweatdropped at the sight of his and lightly tapped his fist against Gwent's face.

"Boss, I think you might wanna chill out with the tail?"

The Demon turned around and arched his tail up. He saw that he definitely made a small indent in the ground the exact shape of his tail that seemed to have been 6 inches deep. He laughed a little in embarrassment and then rested it on the ground. "I…didn't even notice. Thanks. Just wish we had a way of figuring this out. Hmmm….I wonder if…" he reached his hand out to the side and his hand went into his inventory again. Wondering if he had anything in his mound of junk, he smiled as he found something that could possibly work. He pulled out two black-rimmed glasses. "Alright!"

"What are those, Boss? Glasses?"

"Well, these are called [Specs of Comprehension]. They're mainly supposed to, well, they let you understand whatever your reading. I kinda…made 'em." Gwent said in embarrassment, which just made Korik stare at him with a questioning gaze.

"I never saw you with those before."

"Well, I made 'em before I created you actually. I used to wear them quite a bit in the past, like, whenever I was reading something. I'd put on a pair of these to make me 'look' smarter, just to get on Akemi's nerves. But…to be honest, I don't know if they're gonna work."

"Why not? You just described what they do."

"Well…they're [Lore Items], Korik."

That's when Korik's eyes opened up more as his mouth made a circle. He gave a silent 'ohhh' as he understood the implications of what that meant. He's seen his Boss, Akemi, and even the other members of Ainz Ooal Gown talk about [Lore Items] and continuously saw his Boss make an uncountable number of them. Basically, [Lore Items] didn't have any kind of real purpose in YGGDRASIL. From what Korik understood, and he understood very well, [Lore Items] were created by Players just for 'RP'ing' or, 'Role Playing' as they liked to say. Nothing but pretend items. Those specs were just such items. Even though Gwent said it would allow the user to understand anything they read, that was false and they were just normal glasses. Because of this, Korik couldn't understand why his Boss had brought them out.

"No offense but what are those gonna do, Boss? [Lore Items] don't do anything." Korik wondered and was a bit more confused when Gwent nodded but then handed him a pair.

"Yeah, I know that. [Lore Items] are usually never meant to be used in a practical situation. But since arriving in this New World…I've kinda been noticing a few changes. Some things that shouldn't be real have _turned_ real and even some items, like my [Untrue Dark Ring], have had their own effects changed, if slightly." He then placed the specs on his face. Even though he didn't have conventional ears as a demon, the specs were meant to stick to the face of those who wore them and fit as well.

"I get what you're saying," Korik said as he put on the specs, "you think that [Lore Items] should do what you wanted them all to do? Guess it's worth a shot."

With both of their specs on, Gwent brought the map back up and they hoped for the best. Their hearts (Gwent still had to check if he had a working one with this body) jumped in their chests as they saw the unreadable words glow lightly and shift until they became English letters.

"HELL FUCKING YEAH!" They both yelled out loud before high-fiving the other. They couldn't believe that had worked! A [Lore Item] that had an actual use!? If that wasn't the definition of revolutionary then they didn't know what that word meant at all! They wanted to celebrate more but they had to focus on reading this map.

"Okay, okay, okay. Let's get excited over making use of the ASS LOAD of [Lore Items] I made over the years at some other point. Let's figure out where we are and what's around us," Gwent said, but he couldn't stop the big smile that was on his face. He had so many new toys to play with in the future that he had no idea where to start. One thing was for sure; their stay in this New World wasn't definitely not gonna be a boring one.

Gwent saw that the specs did more than just translate the language but it also seemed to show their current location, indicated by a small glowing dot. Though the dot kept flashing two colors, red and green, to indicate Gwent and Korik. "Okay, so this is where we are. Near an area called the Azerlisia Mountains."

Korik traced a finger down the mountains and to the forest they were in. "We seem to be on the northern part of these mountains, right at the very edge of this forest. The Great Forest of Tob and all of this area is located in this Re-Estize Kingdom." He saw that the drawing showed more conjoined trees in the aforementioned forest compared to where they were. "Seems like the foliage there is much thicker compared to this section of forest. I think we should avoid that place for now. Maybe check it out later."

"Good idea," Gwent said, "besides before we do more exploring, I'm gonna have to create a new house." He tilted his head up and sighed with a small growl. "And after all the effort I put into making our original one."

Korik rose a slight eyebrow. "I mean, it shouldn't be that hard to remake it though, right? I think you still have the plans for the house, right?"

"Yeah, I do…but it's just a hassle to have to remake the house, is all. But this time, it'll be different. I'll make sure to always take the house with us when we're done with it for the night." Gwent looked up and saw that the sky was orange. "Sun is setting?"

Korik smirked and removed the specs. He then placed his pair in his own inventory. "Then we better find somewhere to properly place that house. Maybe somewhere with the higher ground? Besides, I know that wearing all that armor is just _torture_ for you, huh, Boss?"

Removing his own specs, Gwent rolled his shoulders around. "You have no idea! I mean, at this point, I'd be in my loincloth already! It's not like we're in some super dangerous place, as far as I can tell. If all they got around here is Ogre's, then why wear any kind of armor at all? I can defeat those with only my [Ultra Greatsword]…or a punch." Gwent slowly began to realize that his body strength and speed may have also been augmented, especially with what he was doing with his tail earlier.

Korik got up and stretched. "I know I could go for your awesome cooking, Boss! We didn't get to fight a dragon but all of these revelations have me kinda exhausted. And hell, I wanna strip outta my gear, too. You can't be the only one now."

Gwent placed his specs and the map in his inventory and then noticed the small mountain ahead. It wasn't the Azerlisia Mountains, just a formation. But it would be a good place to build the house. So, they took off in that direction, with Gwent leading, and it proved Gwent's thought right. His speed had increased several folds. He felt that he was doing 40mph and doing something like that without mechanical limbs back on Earth was impossible. But he chose to enjoy the sensation of his amazing speed….and then he enjoyed the sensation of his amazing climbing skills once he and Korik reached the mountain.

He found that the claws on his hands and feet weren't for show and that they dug into the bedrock easy. He looked down. "How ya' doing, Korik?" His eyebrows jerked up as he saw Korik leap up and then dig his fingers into the stone with ease as if the stone was akin to wet towels. "Jesus…", he mumbled.

Korik looked up and then watched the Demon's tail lightly wavering about. "You know, I'd probably feel much better if you weren't wearing all that armor. Kinda blocking my view of your nice butt, Boss~"

Gwent's climbing was interrupted as he nearly tripped but caught himself from the statement. Whoa! Korik was checking him out!? Honestly, …he should've seen this coming properly. There HAVE been some flirtatious moments between the two of them and, so far, everything in Korik's flavor text had come true. So…was it so hard to believe that even the more _risque_ things wouldn't become real, either? Gwent wrote those things due to his _horrible non-human sexual obsessions._ There was a lot more to him than just being a furry.

' _Wait…I'm an Incubus! So, doesn't that mean that I'm going to be even MORE sex-happy then I was as a human!?'_ Though, he had to admit, if Korik was offering sex…why would he turn that down? It's something that he's pretended what would happen many times before and even made Korik very handsome, to boot. No one had any right to call the man ugly because, once again, Gwent Bane did not create ugly characters!

He smirked as tilted his head down. "I think it'd be best that you wait for that house~ Then after dinner, you can have whatever you want for _dessert,_ later." He continued to climb while Korik exclaimed a 'Hell yeah!' before seeming to climb with more vigor. They weren't winded or tired at all for doing this and it was sure a new experience. Climbing this high without any protective gear? Gwent even wondered if he would even take damage from a fall at this height.

"So, Boss, I've been wondering..." Korik started as they trekked up this mountain. The red demon slightly turned back to look at him.

"Yeah? What's up?"

"Well...whose this Goku guy you used to compare me too?" Korik asked an eyebrow raised as he jumped up to the next ledge. Gwent stopped his climbing and his eyes rose a bit, not at all expecting the left-field question. Korik.. _.remembered_ that, too!? Well, sure, he seemed to have been recalling a lot of things they did in the past but those statements, Gwent said few and far between! Just wow.

"I'll…tell you tomorrow." They finally made it to the top and Gwent used his tail to let Korik grab onto. He didn't try hard as he lifted the limb up and rested his partner on the ground beside. Him. There was a nice amount of grass as a few trees around them, and nowhere near as much as the tree's from the forest they were in. Turning around, they had a perfect view of the sunset and how its orange glow stretched across the sky. It was an amazing sight.

"Man. Can't be made at this view, huh? Wonder what the moon in this world is like?" Korik said.

He was interrupted by a small flash and he turned around to see his Boss without his armor on and only wearing a loincloth. Korik gained a lecherous grin on his features as he licked his lips, taking in the sight of the muscles in the Demon's arms, legs, and back. He so wanted to remove that final article which prevented him from seeing the _red moons_ he'd much prefer to see.

He stopped his highly perverted thoughts when Gwent grumbled. He then became a bit concerned as he saw Gwent fumbling with something that he couldn't see. "Boss? What's up?"

"It's…" Gwent didn't answer but, instead, turned around, showing off….his necklace. It was something Korik never saw before and he was very impressed as to where he got that. But Gwent didn't know what to think at this moment. This was _his_ necklace. Not something from the game but the one he was wearing back on Earth. He never made a copy in the game.

" _This….this is MORE than just going to a New World. I think…I think my real body…and my avatar body…"_

Merged was the word he wanted to say but he couldn't voice it. He thought that he was coping well with what happened but this just opened up so many more questions that he had no idea where to start or how to go about them.

"Aniki?" Gwent looked to Korik who was staring at his necklace. "That's an amazing necklace. Where'd you get it?"

"My…dad gave it to me," Gwent said, realizing that this was one of the very few things he never told Korik, "he said to always keep it close. I…thought I lost it…through the, uh…the _transfer_ here, or whatever."

"Your dad? You don't talk about him much, either. I never asked, is he as powerful a Demon as you are?"

Gwent was about to tell the truth…but then figured that if he did, Korik would ask questions about his mom and wonder if she was a demon instead. But both of his parents were human and Gwent didn't have a way to properly explain that. So, he just went with it. "Well…dad is a much more powerful Demon than I am. I mean, it'd probably take decades, maybe a few centuries for me to get that powerful."

This mesmerized Korik greatly, as he had stars in his eyes. Gwent was, as far as he knew, one of the 9 most powerful beings in all of YGGDRASIL, on top of being a highly top-class demon. His Boss was undefeated and had power that Korik rarely got to see fully unleashed the stronger he got. So, to hear that his father was 2, maybe 3 times stronger than his Boss was something so grand that he could barely wrap his head around it.

There was only one word he could think of.

"Whoa…"

"Whoa, is right. Not to mention, dad bedded more people than I ever did and he didn't care who saw. The Incubus smirked as even he was beginning to get into the tale of his dad, the Incubus. Though, if he was being honest with himself, his dad could've easily passed off as one due to all of the compromising situations Gwent had caught him in, but those are stories for another time.

Korik brought down two fists in excitement. "Your old man sounds awesome! I wish I could've met him!"

"I bet you two would've hit it off, for sure," Gwent said before he turned around, "but enough about pops. It's time to start making a new home for us. I have a feeling that the rules of this New World are gonna make this less meticulous." Reaching into his inventory, he pulled out a green gemstone that fit into his palm and was shaped like a typical house. Typical being a sort of playhouse that one would see in something like the board game, Monopoly. This item was called [Green Secret House].

This was one of the Base-Building-type item used for creating shelter in empty areas, whether it be for long-term use or short-term use. Since the resulting structure was made with magic, its inner dimensions are much larger than the outer ones. Even the entrance shifts to accommodate the size of larger individuals. This was how Gwent created his home in Midgard and it's defenses functioned the same. Only those he deemed comrades could enter his home.

In YGGDRASIL, the usual way this item works is that you summon a real version of the house that Gwent was holding and, through the use of [Data Crystals], could change the exterior, while the interior was pure customization alone. But Gwent didn't want to waste any of his [Data Crystals] for the exterior since he didn't know if he was going to be able to find more in this world. Thinking he should try his new tricks, he closed his eyes and focused on his old home, down to the last detail.

"Come on…just change how I want you to change."

Like a switch, something sparked in his mind. In his head, he could 'see' what appeared to be the customizing options for building creation but it was different. The information of various living arrangements came and went very fast but Gwent could sort through it all flawlessly, seeing all the options he could take to enhance the appearance of his home from outside to in, without having to go through every little minute decoration. This sensation was similar to how the inventory worked. It wasn't even three seconds when he had a perfect replica of his wooden cabin in his hands as a green gem. Now it was his turn to be impressed.

"Whoa."

He then tossed the replica further away until it glowed a bright green. When the glow was finished, he gave a fist-pump of elation at seeing his wooden cabin back. He and Korik ran up the steps and then opened the door, finding everything in place, as if nothing had left. The bedrooms, the fireplace, all of it! Korik leaped onto the couch and sighed as he leaned back against the cushions.

"Yes! Feels so good to have a little slice of familiarity back! Thought we'd never see our house again!"

Gwent chuckled and made his way to the kitchen area. "Korik, we haven't seen our original house in a full day yet. Don't you think it's a bit too early to go saying that?" While he spoke, he went through the pantries where various food was located and stocked. The greatest things about magical houses were just that. They were magic. If one wanted infinite food that could never go bad, then that's what one would get. These sorts of houses were also good places to start an adventure with food buffs, which would only be increased in potency if one had the [Cook] class. As it just so happened, Gwent was mildly proficient in that class himself.

Cooking in YGGDRASIL game, worked similar to the [Warrior] playstyles, where it relied on real-world experience. Making actual recipes would allow for better buffs. Taste wasn't really a thing in the game, of course, but the buffs were definitely worth 'eating' tasteless food. Though, one would actually 'use' food and food items as would use any other usable item, since avatars couldn't actually eat. Now Gwent had a real mouth and real food that he could smell, and it was definitely making him hungrier.

Korik smiled and closed his eyes for a bit. "Maybe…but after showing up in some weird world, where things we know might as well be tossed out the window, I love that we didn't have to give up one of the things that we both cared about a lot…which is this house." As he spoke, Gwent began to fix a dinner that was a classic in his family. Pork chops, yellow rice, and candy apples. The latter dish didn't really have candy involved but chopping up apples, letting them sit in vanilla, and then cooking them later with honey, sugar, and brown sugar coated over them.

As he got dinner set, he looked over to the couch and saw that Korik had swapped out his gear for his own loincloth. Like Demons, Goblin's had no conventional undergarments, so, they wore loincloths as well, though Korik's acted more as a fundoshi.

"Man~ Feel's so good to be out of those clothes and armor for a change."

Gwent got a good look at Korik's body, which was definitely the envy of all Goblins and even a lot of human men. He had the look of a body-builder. His chest was nicely shaped with impressive pecks and a six-pack. His arms were relatively large and when he curled them, such as over the back of the couch, his muscles would lightly ripple under his green skin. Not just his upper body, but his lower body was a fine piece of work, with triceps that were very toned, as if he was capable of running marathons. Finally, the icing on the green cake was the lovely amount of fuzz that covered him. Usually, Goblins didn't have hair coating their body, thick or thin.

Some would grow hair on their heads, maybe even a beard or mustache's on a rare few, but that was usually the extent of it. It was Orcs who had a tendency to be hairy half the time but Gwent wanted to make his NPC as much of a man as possible while spitting in the tropes of conventional Goblins. Nothing said 'man', like having light fuzz along one's arms, pits, their knuckles, legs, and having a decent carpet on their chest. The black hair started between his pecks and narrowed to his belly button, which then left a happy trail down to his covered crotch.

Gwent was gazing Korik's amazing body so much that he didn't realize that the Goblin turned his head, noticing his stare. He gave a saucy wink as he caught his Boss undressing…well.. _fondling_ his body with his eyes and not paying attention to the food. As much as he wanted to get down and dirty with his Boss, which he's been waiting to do for YEARS, but for some reason, never acted on it, he was very hungry. And no one should ever fuck on an empty stomach!

"Heh, Boss, I'm seriously flattered you can't stop starin' at my bod like that…but I think the grub should be a top priority, don't you think~?"

Gwent blinked and blushed, which was barely noticeable on his red skin. He scoffed playfully and turned back to the stone stove and oven. "Yeah, yeah, sure. You undress me with your eyes and it's all good but I'm forbidden from doing the same."

Korik smirked and laid the long way on the couch, showing off some of his butt. "Well, not _forbidden,_ but you've got a job you're currently doing. There's no point in being distracted…" he then reached over and placed a palm on the exposed cheek, "due to something like this, now~. I'm sure you can hold off, right?"

"Damn you, you little…!" Gwent growled, hating that little fiend for playing around so much like this!

He could feel his primal urges willing up In the pit of his stomach as he stared at Korik's fuzzy rear-end…but he knew that the food had to come first. As much as he wanted to show that teaser who's boss, he decided to forcefully turn his head and work on the food. He heard Korik laugh behind him and shifting on the couch. He didn't even want to peak to see what he was doing. Maybe he got back to sitting the normal way but he could've been in a whole new position for all the demon knew.

He wasn't going to let his mind toy around with the possibilities, as he was worried about what would happen to him once he did. Things in this world were real after having been brought over from YGGDRASIL, meaning he was a real sex demon. A powerful one too, since he had max levels in all of his demonic classes and was a Lv.100 as well, so who knew what getting horny would account for. He was sure that he'd forget about the food and after having once had sex without having eaten anything prior, he knows that's a bad idea.

So, he held out for 15 minutes as he cooked. Usually, cooking pork chops alone would take 25 minutes but [Cooks] were capable of speeding up the time necessary to cook any kind of food by a certain amount of time depending on their level in the class. Gwent was only Lv. 5 in [Cook] instead of Lv.15 but Lv.5 was good enough for him, as it still had enough time for RP'ing purposes while not having to wait a very long time for food. The apples and rice came out after 5 minutes due to being quicker dishes to make and serve.

Once the food was done, Gwent got two large, smooth, wooden plates. "Alright, fuzzy-ass, the food's done." He called out as he began to fix the plates.

"Hahaha!" Korik laughed as he got up. "I was honestly wondering if you were gonna glance over to the couch. I've been showin' off my ass in various positions, hoping you'd take the bait."

A tic-mark appeared on Gwent's forehead as he placed down the plates on the wooden dining table. The plates consisted of two seasoned pork chops, a decent helping of the slimy, soft, and sweet candy apples in small separate bowls, and large portions of yellow rice. "You idiot, didn't you say you were hungry? What if I looked and lost control!?"

Korik sat down at the bench, grabbed one of the pork chops in his hands and, before taking a bite, he grinned. "Just a bit of dangerous teasing, I guess~ And I say dangerous because I honestly AM pretty hungry and no one wants sex on an empty stomach." He bit into his meat while Gwent deadpanned and shook his head. He poured them cups of an apple-tasting alcohol to help increase the hunger, before sitting down.

"You're a weird one, Korik."

"Take's one to know one," Korik said as he moaned from eating the food. "Man, this is great! I just LOVE your food, Boss!" He continued to eat the meat while Gwent laughed, beginning to eat his own pork chop while using his spoon to eat some of his rice.

"Oh, come on. I'm not the BEST cook. I just know my stuff is all. There were other cooks who had higher levels in their [Cook] class than me." Though Gwent had to admit, the food DID taste just like the food he had back home, if not better. Maybe it was because the food was made through magic. Or maybe it was his new body having enhanced senses. That was a possibility.

Korik finished his first pork chop and drank some of his apple ale while using his spoon to scoop up some apples. "I know that but there is always something about the way you make food, Boss! If there was a contest with 'knowing your stuff', then you win, for sure!"

Gwent couldn't help but feel happy after hearing that. "Well, thanks, buddy. Hearing that means a whole lot."

The two of them continued to eat, enjoy that, the sunset light that seeped through the windows, and each other's company as they shared small bouts of banter as they ate. They even had seconds and thirds until all of the food that was made was gone. After they were done, Gwent took the plates and placed them on a blue magic circle on the counter. The circle was embedded with a cleaning spell that would remove the smallest piece of grime on an object, which was even more helpful than having a dishwasher.

He placed the dishes back where they belonged. Looking out the window, he realized the night was upon them as that they had a lovely view of all the stars out. Since the moon wasn't in their viewing vicinity, the only light source in the house came from the fireplace. Gwent had no idea that there were so many stars out and thought it amazing that, even from a window, he could see them so clearly.

' _Wonder what it'd be like to star gaze in this world. Maybe it has two moons or something crazy like that.'_ He was brought out of his musings when he heard a whistle from behind him. Looking back, he felt his loins tingle and his eyebrows shoot up as he saw Korik lying on the bear-pelt rug. He was on his side, head resting in his right arm as he was looking directly at Gwent, a hungry look in his purple eyes for something other than food.

"Well, Boss, I think I can say for certain I'm full of energy. Your cooking definitely got that situation handled. But I think I'm ready to be stuffed for something else~"

Gwent cringed a bit but managed a sly smile. "That was such a bad joke….but if that's what my little Goblin wants…~"

Korik shrugged. "Eh, I'm sure you dig it, anyway."

To be honest, Gwent's chest and stomach were doing backflips! He was about to seriously have sex with a real _Goblin_ of all things! For someone who's mainly been looking at porn of various creatures and non-human beings online ever since his later teenage years with the occasional human, this was a dream come true for him! He was definitely gonna make sure to not waste it!

 **WARNING! Lemon Ahead contains M/M Non-Human sex! Jump to the next bold line to skip! To those of you into this, enjoy!**

Gwent decided to not stall this any longer. Fully coming to terms that he was a Demon about to get it on with the sexiest Goblin he's ever seen (for the last time, he creates nothing ugly!) he found a bulge beginning to form in his loincloth as he strolled over to the fireplace, where his main prize lay. If there was another thing that turned him on during sex, it was definitely the location. Sure, a bedroom is nice and good but getting naughty in an unconventional area, such as the kitchen, living room, hell even the damn hallway, was amazing in his opinion.

Korik licked his lips at seeing his Boss' tent, which wasn't even at half-mast yet but the size was still impressive. He's never seen his Boss' junk before so, even he had no idea what he was packing size-wise..but he wasn't worried. This was his leader, his Battlemaster, his fucking male love-interest for crying out loud! He KNEW Gwent would be amazing, so the real question lied in how much of his pride would the Goblin be able to take when they got hot and heavy? He decided to just be surprised and wait for when that time actually came.

"Seein' something ya' like, Boss~?" Korik's loincloth, basically fundoshi-cloth, grew an obvious bulge as well as he started to fondle himself with his unused left hand, shifting his package around. Gwent licked his snout and got to his knees, bringing his face closer to Korik's, the atmosphere around them changing drastically.

"Cutie, I'm seeing a whole _lot_ that I like~"

He then moved forward and, nervously, placed his lips against the Goblins. That backflipping in his core began to turn into a small fire as he locked lips with Korik, who moaned and laid on his back. This had Gwent lean over him and deepen the smooch. Korik got a little bit more frisky as he licked Gwent's lips, his tongue asking for the other one to come out and play. The Incubus just couldn't deny his sexy male as he opened his maw and allowed his tongue to slip against Korik's. Both of them moaned loudly, their toes curling and their members getting painfully harder as they felt new pleasures course through them.

For Korik, this wasn't only his first kiss and first tongue-kiss, but it was his first one with the one he cared for the most. The knocks of pleasure that ran through his body were akin to a lit flame. He wrapped his arms around Gwent's neck to pressed their lips closer together, if that were possible and got a bit more aggressive. For Gwent, this definitely wasn't his first kiss but it was for sure the first one he has that was this….passionate and intense at the same time. The first time he kissed a woman, it was great, sure, but nothing to really call amazing. He found more pleasure in the sex that came after. Even then, some partners didn't impress him all that much, which is why he was comfortable with one-night stands.

Those he usually banged didn't have that 'spark' in their performance or had defining qualities that could send shivers through him, the same way Korik did. He didn't know if it was because Korik was created by him to be a master of sex, because he genuinely cared for him due of their years of experience, or the fact that Korik just wasn't human and that he was also an Incubus. Hell, it could be the fact that his tongue was now as long as a damn giraffe's and wrapped around Korik's like a snake. Whatever those reasons, Gwent didn't ponder on them. He was busy tasting the dinner they just had on his Goblin's tongue and everywhere else in his maw. His right hand felt the iron muscles and hair on Korik's chest while he glided it down to his prize.

As saliva dripped from Korik's chin from their savage kissing, he separated from it, moaning louder when he not only felt his loincloth come undone but felt a warm hand grasping as his length. Gwent chuckled at his expression but then was amazed at the Goblin's shaft and the size of his sack.

"Holy, _hell_ , Korik!" Gwent exclaimed as he grasped 8-inches of meat.

Korik's shaft was a bit of a darker green than the rest of his body. Pulling back the foreskin, Gwent was greeted with a mushroom tip was a nice pinkish-purple. His balls were at least twice the size of a normal human adult male, about the same size as a pair of golf balls. He definitely wondered how and why he was so damn big! He definitely didn't put THAT in his flavor text. Hell, even Gwent as a human was 7 ½ inches. It kinda made him feel just a bit insecure but he was amazed all the same. Through the moans from having someone else touching his dick, Korik laughed a little.

"That's right. This is the first time you've seen my junk, huh, Boss~? Kind of a shame when you think that we haven't been fuckin' in the past couple years but I know you're still bigger than I am." He sat up, making Gwent remove his hand. He pushed the demon to his butt and grabbed at his loincloth. Gwent blushed and turned his head a bit.

"Uh, I don't know about-" he then felt his loincloth slip from his lower body, showing his bareness to the NPC. Still not looking, just in case Gwent was surprised at being bigger than his boss, Korik actually yelped in shock and feel to his own butt, the loincloth getting tossed on a chair. This made Gwent look to him as the Goblin pointed to his crotch.

"Sweet _mother_ of every notion of _FUCK_ , Boss! How…just HOW!?" Korik exclaimed eyes transfixed on the demon's crotch.

Gwent looked down and his own eyes went wide. Instead of the 7 ½ blunder, he was expecting, he was actually bigger than Korik, just like the Goblin said. Except he wasn't expecting fucking 10 inches of meat! Nearly 3 more inches than he had before! His shaft, like Korik's, looked the same in shape in comparison to a human. It was just red to compliment his skin with a healthy forest of black hair above his crotch and leading up to his belly. He was still uncircumcised as well, something he was thankful hadn't changed, yet to Gwent's surprised, his tip was colored black, instead of a purple-pink.

"Hahaha! Wow! I mean, you DID say I'm bigger!"

Korik shook his head. "No, I expected THAT, Boss but what I'm talking about is your fuckin' balls! I mean I knew you were an Incubus and all but I had no idea yous sex demons were so extreme! I mean having _four giant_ low-hangers like that!? Man!"

"I, huh!?" Gwent then looked under his shaft to grab hold of his sack…s. He had _sacks_ ; not a single one anymore…technically. All four balls were in a larger pouch but it would be seen as one pair over the other. And if that wasn't enough, each nut was about the size of a mandarin fruit. As far as balls went, that was pretty crazy, even compared to Korik's, being just a bit bigger. He then had a realization at that moment. When he was designing his character, since he was an Incubus, he wondered what would be great traits to have for this flavor text. After remembering the amazing Mass Effect games from the past, he thought about the krogan race and how they had four balls and not two. So, as a joke, he wrote that in. He laughed at the overall silliness of something like this also becoming real.

"Oh, yeah! I almost forgot about that myself now that I think about it! This is actually my first time having sex like this, so I guess it makes sense for the both of us to be shocked. Just means that I can go for a while."

After getting over his shock, he moaned loudly as Korik's hands were over his nuts while his nose was placed against his thick shaft to take in his musk. "I'll bet, Boss~ Damn, you must be able to cum whole buckets with these puppies!"

He leaned down and began to lick and suck at those nuts, making sure to take in their musky taste while Gwent growled as his tail wavered in the air. He made sure to keep it under control so it wouldn't break anything. He gasped, feeling his toes curl a bit as Korik's tongue went everywhere on the twin sacks, making sure that his Boss' arousal was at its optimum compacity. And Korik could tell as it seemed that his balls became a tad more profound, no doubt from the excess of seed that was currently building up.

Gwent didn't know how long he would be able to put off taking Korik right here and now and all of this foreplay was just torture! Granted, he did aim to properly enjoy this since this was his first non-human sexual experience but the Incubus inside of him was just roaring at him to stop playing around and take the man that dared to stoke his internal heat in such a way. Looking at his shaft, Gwent couldn't believe the amount of pre he was spilling. A good amount of the clear fluid was leaking down his shaft to the Goblin's hair and down his face. Was this another Incubus thing? Gwent grabbed Korik's head and gently pushed him away.

"D-Dammit, enough of that! Huff…reallly…let's get prep for the real thing now~"

Korik gained a cocky smirk. He scooped some pre in his fingers and licked it up, moaning from the taste of musk and slight hint of spice. It made Korik even harder if that was possible, his own balls pulsing from then need to release their pent up seed. "Awww, you couldn't have been THAT close already, Boss~ I thought you've done this before~"

Gwent glared a bit, the flames from the fireplace reflecting in his eyes. "I HAVE done this before." _'Just not with anything other than human…OR was this sensitive either.'_ "But I'm not ANYWHERE close yet. I just think that since you've been strutting your ass around so much, you better put it on display right now."

Korik wouldn't lie. Seeing the fire literally in his Boss' eyes, along with his low-growling demand, made him feel pretty small. Even though he felt that was making the pace, it seemed that wasn't going to be the case any longer. "Well…how can I refuse my handsome Demon~?"

Korik turned and got to his hands and knees. Spreading his legs a decent amount, he turned his head back to gaze at Gwent, wiggling his hips a bit in anticipation. Korik honestly had his own heart beating very fast and did his best to not shake a lot. The weapon that was Gwent's shaft was eventually going to make its way into his being and it was very intimidating. But…with how much pre it was dripping, then the entry shouldn't be _too_ painful, he thought.

Seeing those fuzzy, round, globes wiggling in front of him, along with the winking pink hole in the middle, Gwent felt that pressure in his chest burn hotter. He gave a toothy grin, drooling spilling from between his fangs while his red eyes began to glow. The sight chilled and aroused Korik at the same time, never seeing that expression before. Gwent grabbed that ass and forced his head down. Pressing his snout to Korik's taint, he took a deep whiff of his musk, moaning at the amazing scent of lust that he took in.

"I've been waitin' through dinner for this! My _dessert_ ~!" Gwent then dived into that ass, his long tongue slowly but surely making its way inside of the Goblin.

Korik's back arched as he let out a loud gasp while blushing deeply. "MOTHER…~! T-THAT'S…~! B-BOSS~!"

Korik involuntarily tightened around the tongue, which did a mix of thrusting in and out of his tight hole, while licking around his fleshy walls. His legs below the knees rose a tad into the air, his toes curling more from the pleasure of his prostate being licked over like candy, on top of the overall feeling of his ass being eaten like…what was that term Gwent used once in a while? Groceries? Whatever the hell that meant, Korik couldn't get enough of his first rimjob! His legs fell back to the carpet but then his arms lost power too. Pretty soon, Korik fell to his chest, shoving his ass higher in the air and spreading his legs more. His dick was drooling pre like a leaking in a faucet.

Now Gwent rimmed him deeper, not wasting time with easing Korik into this. He wanted to shove himself as far into him as possible but he also dreamed of tasting this amazing ass that he sculpted due to his dirty tendencies. So, that's what he did and with gusto at that. He made as many lewd sounds as he could while his tongue snaked as deep as it could into the warm and twitching tunnel. Korik moaned over and over, eventually thrusting his hips to and fro, trying to fuck himself on Gwent's tongue. On top of that, a hand tried going to his cock but Gwent's tail grabbed his wrist to stop him. Korik moaned louder with a hint of whining.

"B-Boss, pleaaasse~! I-I feel like I'm gonna bust at….at any moment~! Just…let me have this~! You're driving me _nuts~_!"

' _Yes~ Beg just like that, ya' little slut~! You're under MY power now~!'_ Gwent didn't know what was coming over him but he figured this was finally his avatar body doing what was natural to it. And he was ready for the main event. He took his time pulling out, wanting to savor the taste of that musk and the act of having his unnaturally large tongue deep in this hunky male's ass. He chewed on the anal prolapse a bit, pursed his lips to make out with that puckered hole while he slapped those cheeks a few times, loving the feel of his saliva dripping from his chin. Korik's lower body began shaking, his breathing ragged, and his back arched like that of a cat after a deep sleep. Seeing the signs of orgasm, Gwent removed his lips and pulled his tongue out.

He licked Korik's hairy buttcheeks a few times before pulling back. He licked his snout and chin (making him realize his tongue was colored black as well) while Korik gave multiple sighs of relief with small hints of frustration seeping through. His winking tailhole had saliva dripping from it with a few drops running down his legs. The Goblin's heavy sack pulsed a little, showing that his seed was nice and ready for milking. His shaft got the memo for that and it throbbed over and over, just wanting to release the building payload but couldn't.

"B-Boooooss~…just….just fuck me, already~ I'm…just so damn _close~!_ "

"Heh. So am I~," Gwent replied as he crawled closer. He unwrapped the tip of his prehensile tail from Korik's right wrist and hotdogged his shaft between those fat cheeks, his pre spilling on Korik's lower back. His glowing eyes seemed to flash a bit, and before Korik knew it, his whole body was sweating even more than ever, the same heat building in Gwent's chest was now coursing through him. He gripped the rub in front of him and arch his back once again, grinding his tailhole against the Demon's fuckstick, which had Gwent moan as well. "Damn~! You're so gonna get it now~!"

Spreading his ass, Gwent pulled his hips back and, thanks to the rimming and the pre, he slowly made his way inside. Korik's mind nearly shattered from the entry of the thick piece of meat, the just seemed to keep going and going as it filled up with a new kind of warmth. A kind that his Boss' tongue could never compete with. Even though he expected the entry to hurt, he didn't feel ANY pain. He didn't know why that Is OR why his body got spontaneously hot all of a sudden but it made his mind go fuzzy. He just yelled loudly and moaned in pure lust, pushing back against Gwent so that he could try and sheath all 10 inches into his more-than-willing hole.

"Daaamn~! So LARGE~!"

Gwent had similar thoughts as he grit his fangs from entering his lover. His tail curled from pure reflex as that hole clenched around him, trying to coax out his own orgasm.

"A-And you're like a damn VICE~! You've got an ass that's just _meant_ to be used~!"

Before long, Gwent was fully sheathed in that Goblin butt, evident by his crotch hitting those cheeks and his quad lightly slapping Korik's sack. The subbing male couldn't hold back anymore from the feeling being entered and said shaft pressing against his sweet spot. That was his thresh hold as he gave a moaning cry, humping back against Gwent's cock, fucking himself; his ass tightened even more due to him cumming very hard. Ropes of milky-white seed sprayed over the pelt rug and his own chest while Gwent growled like a beast, his hips pulled back before shooting forward. With a *CLAP*, his hips slapped against that bubble butt and his quad lightly slapped Korik's own balls again.

Gwent was too into this to say any words as the pleasure in his thick rod overloaded him. He began to thrust at a moderate pace. Korik began to drool as he was being given the highest amount of pleasure one could give another person. The intense carnal lust that was shared between them kept his cock rock-hard as seed dripped from his flopping shaft, his body moving on its own as he aided Gwent in his rampant thrusts. The heat in his body was everywhere now. Each pore, every cell in his body was alit with raw, lustful, power. He too couldn't give any words as his Boss' _amazing_ dick left him continuously breathless.

Even without coherent verbal communication, the sounds they made, along with the crackling of the magical flame near them, only aided by the ambiance of their rutting. The pleasured gruffs and needy moans, the slapping of their lower bodies constantly meeting one-another in a nonstop collision, this was the best thing either of them has done and they loved that it was with each other. The moon had slightly drifted in their vision and filled the room with just a tad more light but they weren't paying attention to that, only to the others' body.

Gwent removed his hands from Korik's ass and leaned over his back. Spreading his legs more, he practically began to ride him, his thrusts having gotten faster due to him pulling out less so he could thrust more. His hands found their way to tweak the Goblin's dark green nipples, taking care to not pinch them with his claws. He did so gently, even twisting them back and forth, which had Korik tilt his head up and give a slutty cry that could've been heard outside. From his position, it was easier for his legs to rise up like before as he ground his ass into Gwent's pelvis and invading cock, which pummeled his prostate like mincemeat. Turning back to look at the Demon, he was surprised when his long, black tongue, coiled around his own before their lips met in another kiss.

Korik moaned even more from the combo of making out and making love. Bringing his right arm around, he wrapped it around Gwent's neck to keep the kiss as deep as possible. Gwent grabbed him and brought him to his lap, sitting on his knees. He then began to bounce Korik on his cock with the Goblin continuously grinding on him in response, his green cock bouncing in little circles. Gwent, wanting them to get even more comfortable, wished that there was something for him to lean back against so he wouldn't have to keep sitting on his knees. Standing up to sit in a chair or couch would break his current rhythm and he wanted to stay as close to the fireplace as possible. Before he knew it, a soft, pink, pillow-seat, shaped like a bean-bag-chair, appeared behind him, allowing him to lean against it while Korik leaned on his belly with his back.

The house could be changed on a near infinite scale on the inside due to magic, though this usually needed console commands, even with the new 'think of the console' power Gwent discovered. But he didn't give a fuck on the technicalities and was glad that he could have his lower riding him. Speaking of which, he separated from the kiss and pushed Korik back a little bit. Grabbing one of his legs, he twirled him on his shaft until they were facing each other. Both of them gave lustful gazes at the other before they threw their heads back and moaned from the combination of Korik's bouncing and Gwent's humping.

Korik leaned back and curled his arms behind his head, his log lightly slapping Gwent's belly over and over while the Demon grabbed his ass for leverage. The end of his tail snaked around Korik's abdomen a single time to help aid in fucking him. Korik moaned as Gwent lightly slapped his cheeks, with audible *SLAPS*.

"Harder~!" Korik demanded. Gwent slapped his ass harder making him yell a bit more and for his balls to start tightening. Gwent growled as he felt his own end coming to him as well, except it was more intense as he had another set of orbs to gather his man milk for him.

"FUCKIN' HARDER, BOSS~!" Korik roared at him and damn near regretted it as Gwent slapped the fuck out of his jiggly ass without pause.

*WHAP!* *WHAP!* *WHAP!*

The Goblin saw stars from the pain and pleasure surging through his being. He threw his arms from behind his head to Gwent's shoulders as they forced each other to hit their peaks.

"OH, C-CUMMIN' B-BOSS~! BOOOSS~!"

"Y-YEAH, ME TOO~! DAMMIT~!"

Both of their bodies shuddered something fierce and their visions both turned white. The burning coal in their loins built to the breaking point before exploding as Korik roared while Gwent turned his head and actually began to expel flames from his maw, one of the skills he obtained through his [Demon Racial Levels]. Korik's ropes of seed were like rockets compared to the first time. He fired his mess over Gwent's hair, his pearly white horns, face, snout, chest, and abdomen. Granted, it was such an explosive climax that even his own chest and belly wasn't spared, nor the end of Gwent's tail which he was wrapped in. When Gwent got his firebreathing under control he leaned over and started to suck Korik, giving him more pleasure as he drunk down all that Goblin seed while he filled Korik to the brim and past that.

His own legs rose from their position on the rug and loveseat as his orgasm practically made him freeze in place. He felt his own demonic cum spill, no, _erupt_ , from Korik's clogged ass and made a large mess under their crotches. Korik grabbed Gwent's onyx hair and tightened his hold on it. His back arched to its max. His toes curled so tight they ached and he had a purely fucked-silly expression on his face once the feeling of cumming, getting sucked, and getting filled all hit him at once.

"F-F-F-Fuuuck, Boss~! Oh, fuck, oh, FUCK~! Yes, ~! Ohhhhh~!…..yeeeees~" Korik was on Cloud Nine while Gwent was the same.

Pulling his mouth from that green and still no-longer throbbing meat, he moaned and fell backward, with Korik falling onto his chest, getting even more of his seed on himself. They breathed very hard, over and over enjoying the afterglow of the amazing experience that they both shared together. Gwent had finally stopped seeding his hunk of a Goblin but kept his hold on his ass, rubbing the cheeks he was just abusing. The feeling made Korik sigh as he got comfortable.

"Don't….pull out…'kay~?" His voice was low and tired.

His two orgasms having taken a lot out of him. Gwent kept his tail wrapped around his body and his palms on his rear. They pressed their foreheads together before they moved their lips close, sharing their last tongue-twirling kiss for the night. Korik wrapped his arms around Gwent's neck and separated. He licked up all of the cum from Gwent's face and then kissed once more, sharing his own taste with the man, which the Incubus found very hot. Korik turned his head a bit to deepen the French Kiss while Gwent got hard once more. Keeping their kiss going, he began to lightly bounce the Goblin on his shaft again, fucking him gently as the Goblin lightly bounced his ass on his hips.

This continued for 10 minutes until their reached their peaks once more. Breaking from the kiss, leaving a thick rope of cum between their tongues, they threw their heads back and came for the final time that night and they, once again, unloaded their truest form of pleasure to one another. Korik getting their chests and the red, thick tail messy, while he moaned from being filled a second time.

Gwent gave a satisfied groan and a sigh, smiling as he laid back. "Now….now…I won't pull out~"

Korik shook from the pleasure running through him and then leaving his system. "G-Good~ T-Thanks…Boss~ I….um…" He blushed deeply as he tried to find the words but he was surprised by a small kiss. Gwent broke apart and closed his eyes.

"I love you, too, ya' pervy idiot~."

Korik snorted but then just laid his head on the demon's shoulder, closing his own eyes.

"You're the pervy idiot….goofball~."

 **LEMON OVER! Hope you enjoyed the naughties!**

The next day was most certainly a welcome one, after the fantastic night the two companions had. While it was established that the two did hold deep feelings for the other, Gwent commented that he didn't want their relationship to be strictly monogamous in the slightest. He believed that, for one, it was best to experience sex with various kinds of people but enjoy going back to the one, or ones, you enjoyed it with the most. Usually once's significant other and Korik already stated that he was more than happy to share this idea. For two, Gwent didn't want to tie either of them down for the future either. If they came into contact with females that they grew to care for, just as much as each other, then they shouldn't deny themselves the opportunities to starts families either. Granted, said females needed to know outright that they were going to get into a polygamous relationship and the two males wouldn't take anything other than that.

Korik knew that he did want to have kids in the future but that he definitely wanted more of what his Boss gave him last night. Maybe even he'd get the chance to be the dominant one a few times during their sessions, which was something he'd never pass up. One could say these two were friends-with-benefits but calling them mates wouldn't be wrong either. Gwent found it amusing that he's been hanging out with his alive NPC for, a day and already they fucked the night before. But if he was being honest with himself, it was something he dreamed of and wouldn't change how it happened at all. All he cared about was building up his stamina for future 'sessions' with Korik and various others. Incubi should be able to go more than 2 rounds after all.

So, after they had both washed in a shower (where more sex happened), and had the house clean up the mess they made, they were both out and about in another yet smaller forest which was on the mini mountain they scaled. Korik was decked out in all his normal clothes but decided to not wear his Stalhrim mesh under his gi, which properly showed off his defined arms. He also wore normal fingerless gloves and regular black rustic boots. He just wanted to follow his Boss' train of thought as Gwent was just wearing his loincloth, as he felt no reason to wear his armor at all.

They both had a pretty good idea that they wouldn't need to be over armored for the area that they were in, especially if humans in this world considered Ogre's to be tough. Not saying that it was necessarily smart but Gwent wanted to test this 'power difference' that he suspects exists and wearing high-end gear wouldn't be a good indicator of that.

Oh, yeah, and he was still a nudist.

Wearing his [Specs of Comprehension], he was looking at the map as they made their way through this forest. "Okay. It seems those 'adventurers' were headed to some kinda city and I don't' think it'd be best to go to one of those right now. I wanna try to get as much info from the land and small villages before we go to larger settlements.

"Okay," Korik said with a nod," is there any villages around this forest?"

"Not, IN the forest but once we get out, there should be a path that'll lead to it. I'm not good at reading distance on a map but, apparently, we're cutting through the forest to make decent time. The longer way is going where those four guys were walking and then rounding around the forest and this mountain, which has its own path we can walk down."

"How do you think they treat Goblins?"

Gwent shrugged. "I can't answer that, especially since I don't know how people treat Demons in this world either. I think it'd be safer if you used your own [Untrue Dark Ring] just in case."

Korik nodded. "Can do." Reaching into his inventory, he grabbed his own [Untrue Dark Ring] and slid it on his pinky, just in case he had to activate it later on. It was just after this they heard a small groan coming from somewhere. They were surprised by the sound which made Korik go into a fighting stance consisting of his fists held in front of him, one near his face and the other near his chest. Gwent was just curious as he looked up from the map and checked his surroundings as to where that noise could've come from. "The hell was that? A person?"

Gwent removed his specs and placed them, plus the map, into his inventory. "Don't know. Maybe. Didn't sound all that far away either."

"Should we use the rings, Boss?"

"Nah. I'm honestly curious to see what that was. We're not sure if it's a person, an animal, or something else. The voice was a bit low. Let's go find it." He began to walk in the direction the noise came from. Korik shrugged and followed right after him. It wasn't all that difficult to find the source as the one that was making those low groaning noises would make them every few seconds. They came upon a section of forest where there was a decent amount of shrubbery where the source of the voice appeared to come from.

"Back there?" Korik asked while they walked through the bushes. What they found was both not surprising and was at the same time. It was not surprising because it was a guy they found, someone who seemed to be in their early 20s if his appearance was any indication. He was a Caucasian male with short and ruffled brown hair. He had a medium build, light leather, a folded cloak beside him, and black boots that were lying on his other side, showing his feet.

He also seemed to have been sleeping heavily, yet he seemed to have been having an amazing dream if his smiling was any indicator. He had a line of drool trailing down his chin and he kept groaning. Yet, even still this wasn't anything to take note of. The surprising part…

Gwent and Korik had their jaws dropped a bit.

"Hey, Korik? Can you…tell me any reason as to why this guy is…"

"Hard as a rock," Korik offered before shaking his head, "maybe he's having a wet-dream?"

Yes. This guy was definitely sporting a tent through his pants, which seemed to show a small but noticeable wet spot. He grunted again and gave a light sigh, before he mumbled something inaudible, even to their superior hearing. He was just talking so quietly for them to make out any words.

Korik rose an eyebrow. "So…what should we do, Boss? I mean….should we leave him and let him take care of that himself when he wakes up?"

"I…" Gwent was about to agree with Korik at that moment. It'd be pretty awkward to wake up someone who was hard, right? Not to mention, this was something pretty normal. Hell, Gwent's woke up hard various times in the past…not counting this morning, of course. But as much as he wanted to just agree with the goblin and walk away…he felt that heat inside of him again and this time, he noticed it.

' _That….feeling. What even is…?'_ Gwent's thoughts began to slow down and he continued to stare at the clothed erection this guy was sporting. The more he stared, the more the heat in his chest grew, and when said heat increased in pressure, his inhibitions grew. Gwent didn't realize that he was licking his lips and drooling at the thought of getting in this guy's pants until he felt Korik patting him.

"Whoa, uh…what's with that look in your eye, Boss? What are you thinking of?"

Gwent decided that he'd just see where this strange feeling that exploded from him last night would take him and allowed it to take hold of his current actions. When he did, his eyes glowed once more and he gave a savage grin as he got to his knees in front of the guy.

"I'm thinking, Korik….that this guy _seriously_ needs some dick-to-mouth resuscitation~. I mean…what kind of Incubus would I be if I let someone's most carnal needs go unfulfilled, huh?"

Korik gapped a bit but then couldn't stop the smile from creeping on his face. "you're gonna _suck_ the guy, while he's out cold? Haha, that's pretty hard-core, don't ya' think?"

Gwent began to unfasten the man's pants and spoke to Korik at the same time. "Korik, getting into some sex at a location where it's possible for you to get caught by others is hard-core. This is me just having a bit of fun is all~"

 **WARNING!** **Lime Ahead contains M/M sexual interactions! Jump to the next bold line to skip! To those of you into this, enjoy!**

He managed to pull the guy's pants down to his ankles, freeing said erection that was throbbing a little. They both looked at the shaft that was lying on the guy's belly as it dripped a bit of pre. His penis was circumcised and he seemed to be 6 inches in length. Korik tilted his head while cupping his chin.

"Hmm…are human dicks always that small, Boss?"

Gwent wrapped his hand around it and began to stroke, making the man groan louder and begin to twitch a bit fro the pleasure he was feeling. "Hey, don't sell the guy short Korik. In terms of humans, he's actually pretty average. Some humans _can_ be bigger by about an extra inch; maybe even two if they've got an amazing lineage. But I've seen cocks that are 4 or 5 inches erect."

Hearing that made the Goblin's face fall noticeably, as he couldn't imagine having a penis that small! It nearly made him grab his own through his pants to make sure that it wasn't going to, somehow, turn out like that just from hearing about it. "Say _what_!? How can any male even use that? That's not equipment, it's a damn tool!"

Gwent shrugged, still jerking the sleeping guy. "Hey, it's not their fault. And don't talk down on those guys either. They usually feel embarrassed and insecure enough about that anyway, which is why some even try to use unnatural means of turning their 'toolbox' into a 'weapons rack'. I don't believe in that stuff but the bottom line here is this guy isn't half-bad for a human. Also, didn't I say I was gonna suck him? I better get to that."

Korik raises an eyebrow. "And if he wakes up?"

Gwent shrugged. "I don't know, I can ride him as an apology. I'm just following my instincts is all."

Grabbing the base of the shaft, Gwent kept it standing up, facing the air while he leaned down and opened his maw. He gulped it all into his mouth in one-sitting, deepthroating him without issue. This made the man moan audibly as his hips began to slowly hump.

' _Guy doesn't taste all that bad~.'_ He smirked as much as he could while he bobbed his head at a decent pace, wrapping his tongue around that dick as he drooled a bit, getting into this.

"A-Ahhhh~." The male moaned even louder in his sleep, hips going just a tad faster. Korik began to get a bit aroused himself as he quick-changed his pants and loincloth into his inventory, leaving him in his gloves, gi top, and boots. He grabbed his erect 8-inch and started stroking.

"Gotta admit..this is pretty hot~ The fact that he's sleeping is even naughtier~" With his left hand, he began to feel up his own abs and chest, getting into this.

As Korik jerked himself next to him, Gwent's body lightly began to let off a slight red energy, just like before. This time, Gwent noticed this and wondered if it was in response to his act of lust. But that wasn't the only thing. When his energy tried to seep into the man, there was another energy that tried to reject his. But this wasn't 'visible' like his. When he focused with his currently improved sight, he noticed that there was a black energy surrounding his body but seemed to focus more on the head.

He pulled back from his blowjob, leaving a trail of saliva from the tip to his black tongue. Placing his tongue back into his mouth, he tilted his head.

"Korik…I think this guy is under some kinda magic influence."

Korik's beating off got a bit slower so that he could comprehend a conversation. "H-Huh? Why…say that?"

"I noticed that when I get horny or and doing lustful things…I let off some kinda 'lustful energy'. It happened last night when we had sex but I barely paid attention as to what it was. It got into you and all I know is that we had the best sex ever."

Korik grinned. "So, come to you for literal mind-numbing sex. Got it, Boss, ~" He moaned more when Gwent latched onto his own dick and directed that energy into him. "Holy shit~! W-what is…~!?" Korik's tongue fell from his mouth and he grabbed Gwent's horns and began to use them as handles as he started to face-fuck him, balls slapping Gwent's chin. "Fuck, YEAH~! Needed that~!" Gwent deepthroated him and let Korik's lust guide him as the Goblin worked his way to a powerful orgasm. The Demon moaned as his nose was shoved into Korik's musky crotch hair, which only tacked on his own lust and wants for giving his follower as much pleasure as possible. Gwent reached up so that he could pinch the Goblin' hardened nips again, making Korik moan even more. From the feeling of that energy, which got Korik hot and sweating like before, he grit his fangs and shoved his man-meat into the Demon's throat, cumming hard with a loud cry of "FUCK~!"

Kroik moaned as Gwent drank up everything he was being fed until those milk factories that hung under Korik's shaft stopped throbbing in pleasure. Korik leaned his head back and realized that he was standing on a single leg, his right one having been hitched up to wrap around Gwent's arm, which was holding said limb up. He huffed and groaned a little more, eyes half-closed as Gwent cleaned him off, which had him cum a second, final time. Gwent pulled back, licking his lips while Korik fell to his ass.

"Daaamn, Boss~ That… was great~!" He huffed and placed his arms behind him, tilting his head back. "So much better than jerkin' off~"

Gwent smirked and turned his attention back to the sleeping male. "See what I mean? I realized that I can control that 'lust energy' and make things involving sex even better. And when I unconsciously used it on this guy, another energy tried to push it away. So, I think he's being forced to sleep."

Korik gave him a look, wiping the sweat from his forehead. "You…did that just to…explain your point?"

Gwent smirked. "I did that because you smell and taste amazing, idiot~ Perfect Goblin specimen, ya' know? Prooving my point was just secondary."

Korik laughed a bit with a hint of a blush at being called 'perfect'. Well, he wasn't really able to disagree. As far as he knew, he definitely _was_ a perfect Goblin and his [Racial Classes] proved it. Maybe that's how Gwent created him but he never once said that to him before, so he felt super special when Gwent said it just then. "Awww, shucks, Boss! Thanks. But now that you know this, what'cha gonna do?"

Gwent licked the human's shaft. "What do ya' think? I wanna see how this black power reacts to my lust energy. Nothing's stopping me now~." With that, he popped the 6-incher back into his maw but began to suck with even more vigor, which really got the sleeping male moaning and humping into his mouth. Korik was spent at the moment, so he just sat there with no pants on and watched the show. He currently felt no need to put any on at the moment anyway as, like his Boss, he too, found pleasure in not wearing clothing. And after getting that amazing blowjob, something he plans to get a lot more of from his Boss, he just didn't feel like putting his undergarments and pants back on anyway. He just let the afterglow run its course through him.

The man gasped more and unconsciously grabbed Gwent's head, humping more into his mouth. His moaning was more audible and he even began to drool a little bit. As Korik watched his Boss have his fun, his attention was diverted from the lewd act itself to the auras that were beginning to surround them both. Around Gwent, he saw that the demon was beginning to glow red again, said power trying to travel into the sleeping guy. Yet when that happened, he saw the black power Gwent spoke of rising from his skull and then travel down to meet the red.

He leaned a bit closer as the two forces began to struggle and tangle against the other, trying to beat the other out. He saw the man's face beginning to strain the more this happened, which was possibly a trigger for his hips to go into overdrive. Gwent just moaned and began to focus as much as he could on that heat in his chest before he expelled as much as he could possibly control all through his body, and in turn, the male's body. The black energy had no chance as it was entirely evaporated which allowed the man's body to get coated in the lust energy.

The moment that happened he arched his back from the ground and pressed Gwent's face to the entirety of his near-hairless crotch before he gave a loud cry. Gwent easily gulped down this man's orgasm while smirking to himself a little bit. For one, his seed tasted average but had a strange but pleasant zing to it that he couldn't place. He gulped down about 7 ropes of thick cum before the man's ass hit the grass again, sweat dripping from his form and him moaning lightly from the heavy climax. Gwent removed his lips from his penis and licked his snout.

 **LIME OVER! Hope you enjoyed the naughties!**

"Didn't taste bad at all, for a human~" When in the world did he get off on saying that, anyway? He was human just yesterday and 'e's has sex with other humans more so than sex with Korik. Part of him just said it because he loved the fact he wasn't human anymore and hearing that line always seemed to give humans 'special treatment' to other beings. But after doing this with Korik, twice at this point, the Goblin tasted several times better than any male or female he's ever been with, not to mention his sense of taste was on another level right now. Technically, this man was the best human he's 'drunk' from.

Also, maybe his new body was beginning to change the way he thought compared to how he used to be.

Korik grinned. "Not better than me though, right~?"

Gwent began to pull up the man's pants while giving a small laugh. "Heh. Not on his life…which I think I just saved! Haha! Damn. Waddaya know? Who'd ever thought I'd end up saving a guy's life with a blowjob?"

Korik gave a light laugh and shook his head. "Boss, I know you kinda explained it before but I still don't even get how that works. What kind of magic is destroyed through a blowjob?"

Oh, no. It was too easy.

"Virgin Magic."

This had them both laughing a bit while Korik slapped one of his knees in mirth. Yet as the man began to stir, they both looked back to him. Gwent then looked to Korik's lower half and pointed t, reminding the Goblin that he was still bare. With a small jerk of his shoulders, indicating he forgot he was naked where it counted, his loincloth and pants flashed back onto his being while Gwent decided to step back a little. Maybe he should've used his and Korik's rings to make them both appear human but this was one guy. Not a group of guys. If anything, he could easily incapacitate him if he so chose to in case he was hostile. Granted, he could've done that to those adventurers but this would be easier. He just had to know how Goblins and Demons were treated in this world.

When the guy began to come too, he yawned and stretched his arms and legs out. He gave a big stretch and groggily opened his eyes, only able to make two blobs, one red and one green.

"Hey, you alright?" The red blob asked him in a deep voice.

The man blinked and nodded his head, rubbing his eyes. "Um…yeah? I think? I mean…I was having such an amazing dream and-" once he removed his hand from his eyes, he looked to see Korik and Gwent staring at him curiously. His expression changed drastically once he finally caught sight of the two creatures, a _Demon_ and a _Goblin,_ who were no less than 2 feet from him. He screamed in fright and tried to move backward but he just hit his head against the tree and yelped in pain this time.

"GAH! Oww!" He curled up and held the back of his head from the pain before he looked back to the two once more, who just deadpanned at him. He screamed again and stumbled to his feet, still leaning against the tree and a single hand against his shaking hand rose and he aimed his open palm to Gwent while looking at Korik. He then chose to forgo nursing his wound and held his other hand to him. "D-Demon and Goblin! You two b-b-better stay away! I-I know magic, you know!? A 2nd Tier caster! I-I've…I'll….blow you two away!"

Gwent sweatdropped while feeling embarrassed for the display in front of him. _'I….yeah. I won't lie and say I didn't expect this but the guy is overreacting WAY too much compared to what I'm used too.'_ Gwent held up a hand, making the guy gasp and turn his attention to him, a blue magic circle forming from his palm. Gwent and Korik gasped as they saw the circle.

That was YGGDRASIL magic!

Oh, this was something they HAD to get more answers on! But first, calming down the hyperventilating guy a certain demon of lust just blew. Gwent slowly rose to his feet as to try and calm the guy down…until he found himself towering over the human. Granted, Gwent WAS very tall, something he was proud of.

"Look…I'm… _we're_ not gonna hurt you okay? We just say you unconscious and wondered if you were okay is all. It's a pretty weird place to get knocked out."

The male shook his head rapidly, magic circle still brandished. "No, way! I-I bet you were just trying to go for an easy target! Well, …it won't work! I'm too s-smart to get tricked like that, a highly e-experienced magic caster!"

Korik snorted which alerted the human's gaze on him. "Buddy, you seem greener than green and coming from me, that's saying something."

The 'expert magic caster', paused as he stared at Korik like he grew a second head. Did that Goblin….talk? Like… _actually_ form words into complete sentences? Now that he looked at him…he was tall. Much taller than a normal Goblin. His muscles were out of this world and looked as if he benched-pressed whole trees with them. His features were a bit closer tot hat of a human's than a conventional Goblin, as well. His nose wasn't pointed and long, but shorter and stout. His ears weren't large but thinner while he had rugged yet not-greasy hair coming from his head.

"Did….you just talk?"

Korik blinked and tilted his head a bit before he pouted a little. "Are. You. Hearing. Words. Come. From. My. Mouth. Kid?"

"I…" His magic circle slowly vanished before he looked between the two of them. "Just…who or _what_ …are the two of you?"

Seeing that he calmed down a little bit, Gwent smiled a bit and chose to step back a little, to help ease the guy from his presence.

"Well, my name is Inariz 'Gwent' Xorgran. Just call me Gwent though, and I'm an Arch Demon. Incubus to be specific." Gwent explained, the male nodding slowly though there was a look of confusion in his eyes.

"Um…Incubus? What…what's that?"

Gwent's eyes widened while Korik placed a hand over his mouth to snort and laugh. The guy turned to look at him while Gwent scratched at his hair before speaking. "Wow, um….I had no idea that I'd have to explain that to someone. Do you know about Demon types?" When he shook his head, Gwent chuckled a bit. "Well…an Incubus is a male sex Demon."

"Say WHAT!? _Sex Demon!?_ " He exclaimed with a blush while Korik laughed audibly in his hand.

Gwent sighed. "Wow, you _are_ green. Don't even know what an Incubus is. Well, you asked and that's what I am. But I'm more than just a fantastic sex partner. I really am a strong demon in the conventional sense too. Enough about me though, I already introduced myself." He looked to Korik who managed to end his fit with a bit of chuckle and cleared his throat.

"Names, Korik, kid. No last name. And I'm the best damn Goblin you're ever gonna meet."

The man looked at him closely, no longer fearful but intrigued. "Are…you a Hobgoblin?"

Korik thought about it for a bit and then shrugged. "Well, yeah. I'm the peak of a Hobgoblin though. I'm not so sure about other Hobgoblin's around here but I like to think that I'm one of the best. Gwent here is my Boss."

"Boss?" The human asked.

"My Boss, my Battlemaster, my leader basically. I've followed him through thick and thin through a bunch of crazy things. And since we told you who we are, who the heck are you anyway, and why were you sleeping here?"

"O-Oh! Um…" he rubbed his head in nervousness as he looked at them, "well…my name is Darian Kletus. I'm an aspiring magic caster and wish to be one of the best. But I've got a long way to go until I can make that a reality. I mean, at the moment, I can only cast 2nd Tier magic."

' _That's pretty weak.'_ Gwent and Korik simultaneously thought. While they knew that even low tier magic had their own uses and importance, trying to go from 2nd Tier to the higher ones was a big ladder to climb, even in YGGDRASIL terms. EXP was the lifeblood of YGGDRASIL and since Gwent figured this was a real world and not a game, that means that EXP wasn't a meter that you have to fill up over and over to get stronger. But one needed real experience and magical prowess to advance and who knows how this translated into real life.

"But, as for why I'm here….um…I have no idea. I remember resting here…and then there was some kinda black shadow. I was having a …um, _intense_ dream about…" he blushed a little bit and turned away, "a girl I like and then I'm waking up to you two. Plus, can I say, you're both VERY weird for your species." He then noticed that his shoes were removed so he kneeled down so that he could put them on.

Gwent and Korik gave side smirked to one-another when he mentioned his 'intense dream'. If he was thinking about some girl he liked and called it so, then no doubt this girl was blowing him in said dream. It made Gwent wonder what this guy would happen to do if he realized the truth. Decided that it was best to never disclose that information, he thought to the shadow Darian talked about. If there was more info he could give, he would've said something but it seems that wasn't the case and he was knocked out.

"Look, Darian, I think I should let you know this. That sleep you were having was magically induced. Someone or something did it."

Darian looked up to Gwent, a look of confusion and concern on his features. "Wait, really!?"

Korik nodded. "Yup. Boss said that there was this black mist surrounding ya'. We can't tell how long you've been lyin' there but Boss worked his own 'magic' and broke the spell holding ya'."

Darian held his forehead as he gained a faraway look in his eyes. He had no idea of what to make of that information. He didn't feel like he was sleeping for too long at all. Sure, he felt pretty groggy and maybe a tad lightheaded from that highly erotic dream (to which, he hoped he didn't mess his pants when he woke up) but he was under a spell this whole time? One this Demon, Gwent, had broken?

"I…I don't….you saved me? Did you save me from some kind of magic? I didn't even sense any magic from before I sat down here to rest and I made sure to cast a spell to do so, just in case. If…if the spell didn't work then…that means that caster was definitely a magic user of a higher Tier." He adopted a large grin and got in Gwent's personal space, making the demon lean back a bit. "And yet you're saying you disrupted it and saved me!? Then…then that means you must _also_ have powerful magic too!"

Gwent blinked and looked from left to right, not knowing what Darian was o hyped up about or why he was on him like this and not in a sexual way either.

"I…" He tried to speak but Darian beat him to it.

"Listen, I'm traveling around, trying to increase my knowledge and skills with magic! I've been on the road for a couple of weeks now and while I haven't been in a whole lot of trouble yet, I might not have _ever_ woken up if not for you! My parents told me that if I was able too, I should find someone who could teach me more magic! I know this is pretty unorthodox, asking a Demon to help a human but I really think that you can help me out Gwent! I mean _Boss_ Gwent! And I'll definitely do my best at whatever you say and-"

Gwent placed his hands on Darian's shoulders, getting the guy to stop as he began to speak himself. "Whoa, whoa, whoa, dude! Chill the hell out for a sec! You're coming on WAY too strong here!" He heard Korik snicker but chose to ignore that. "Look, we just passed by, saw you needed help and then helped! There's nothing more to it than that! And sure, fine, you're some greenhorn magic caster-"

Darian pouted. "Hey."

"But what the hell is this about me teaching ya'!? I mean, dude, I just met you!"

Korik smirked again and turned his head to the side, muttering under his breath."Yet ya' sucked him off when he was still just a random kid." He ignored the slight glare Gwent sent him since his sensitive ears picked up on that comment before he looked to Darian. "Besides, where do you get off calling him Boss? _I'm_ the one who calls him that. You should address him as Mister, kid."

Darian nodded. "Mister, it is!"

Gwent shook his head. "Korik, shut up! And Darian, I never said I'd teach you, for one, so don't assume that I will. Not to mention, I'm not even a magic-"

Before he could finish his sentence there was the sound of a male yelling and then a sound akin to that of a powerful wind being generated. The sound wasn't all that far away from them, at least to the point where they could make out that a battle was taking place. They all turned to face that direction, Gwent releasing Darian's shoulders who lightly clenched his fists.

"What's…going on over there?"

"More of those adventurers, maybe? I mean, we did pass by some yesterday." Korik said while Gwent narrowed his eyes. He could somehow discern that something was off in that direction and was unsure as to how until something 'clicked' in his mind. He could suddenly 'see' red aura's in his vision, 3 of them and they seemed to have been closing in on something. Gwent then understood that this was the activation of one of his [Passive] abilities, [Evil Perception]. The gist of it being if there was anything around with negative karma, he could sense it. The lower the karma, the stronger that thing's signal would be. These signatures were pretty minuscule but they were still there and he grew curious.

"Follow me." Was all he said before he began to jog at a decent pace towards the conflict. Darian didn't even get a word out as Korik followed right behind the Demon. He wondered if he should follow or not but then realized that he still needed to get Gwent to teach him more impressive magic and couldn't afford to lose him, not to mention, he had to find a way to repay him for saving his life.

"Hey, wait for me!" He then ran after them, doing his best to keep pace with their impressive jogging speed. They didn't have to travel too far as they stopped hind a few trees and looked around them to see what was happening. There were 3 monsters; Ogre's to be specific and they were all converging on what the three could make out to be a Lizardman. Darian was in awe at seeing one since he's only heard about them on his brief traveling but they weren't anything new to Gwent and Korik, having seen so many players, NPC, and enemies of that species.

What did catch their attention was the Lizardman in question. He did not seem overly unique. He had dark brown, nearly charcoal black scales, a mix of dark green scales, and some form of red mark on his chest. He was sporting some form of a green scarf that was also wrapped around his chest and back, plus a burgundy cloth around his waist. No, the things they had their eyes on was the weapon that he was holding. It was obviously some sort of magic blue and white blade, with a dim glow. The shape was a bit peculiar, as the handle is integrated with the blade, which resembles a three-pronged fork or a sai. The grip part of the body is increasingly thinner, stretching paper-thin at the tip of the blade.

They could also see that a select portion of the ground was coated in ice while an Ogre was partially frozen on one side. Most definitely due to that weapon. He managed to slowly slink his way along with the two others to the Lizardman, who looked to have been panting and covered in some bruises. The Oger's held large clubs and gave unintelligent yells as they staked closer.

Darian gasped as he looked at them. "O-Ogres? And 3 of them on top of that? There's…there's no way we can stop that, even if we wanted too. And that Lizardman looks pretty tired too."

Korik looked to Gwent. "Whatcha wanna do, Boss?"

Darian decided to voice his own thoughts. "Mister Gwent, I know you're pretty powerful, maybe even capable of casting spells on the 3rd Tier but…I think that it would be safer to cause some kind of distraction and help that Lizardman get away. Taking on more than one Oger at once is a challenge so it's best to play this smart."

Gwent looked to Darian and said, "Look, kid, I hear ya' but they're just Ogres. I don't see the need to get worried about 'em."

"So, you do wanna help the Lizardman?" Korik wondered and Gwent just shrugged.

"Well, he's already right there. Helping him is convenient at this point. Besides, we can ask him for even more info about this place, especially in regards to other Demi-Humans." Gwent then broke cover and chose to walk out onto the field, with Korik shrugging and following behind. Darian gasped while rubbing his hands through his hair.

"Wait, what are you two doing!?" He tried to keep his voice quiet but his exclamation came out a bit louder than intended. Gwent, not breaking his stride, just rose a hand and waved him off, signifying that he and new his partner were more than capable of handling this. It didn't take long for the Ogres and the Lizardman to notice their approach, to which they stopped.

The Ogres only looked at them in curiosity while the Lizardman's eyes, whose name was actually Zariusu Shasha, were wide at the sight of Gwent, mainly. While the sight of Korik was a tab strange since he heard about how Goblins are supposed to look, he had never seen or heard of the kind of creature Gwent was. Tall, red skin, thick tail, a snout, and glistening white horns that looked sharp enough to impale even thick tree's with, let alone, normal flesh. This creature was also wearing a simple loincloth, compared to his fully clothed Goblin companion. He could not see any weapons on either of them either.

"They…can't be thinking about fighting these Ogres with just their bare hands…" He had to admit, that was impossible. He had already spent one of the uses of his weapon's, the name being [Frost Pain], signature skill. That being the [Icy Burst] ability. A power he could only use three times a day to slash a large freezing mist at whatever he was aiming for. But using the first one barely slowed down one of those monsters. Maybe he should run while those two have the Ogers attention? There is no guarantee that they are friendly anyway.

Gwent then spoke, making Zaryusu stop in his tracks as he slowly began to back away. "Alright, you dumb pieces of shit. We've got your fight right here."

Korik cracked his knuckles. "Yeah. Bring it on."

The Ogres all looked to one another before they gave grumbling roars and chose to run at their new target. The third one, having shaken off a good amount of the frost, was able to decently keep pace with the other two. All of them were brandishing their large clubs so they could smash the two new insects. Gwent breathed a little and decided that this was a great opportunity to test his capabilities right now. It was why he chose to forgo any weapons and armor for going against these Ogres. If he really did have everything his avatar had to offer then the transfer of all his levels must somehow equate in his physical body while being in this physical world.

This was a test of his natural strength and durability.

Ogres were about Lv. 20 each or so. If this knowledge still held some truth then he should be in no real danger, even if he isn't wearing gear the nullifies attacks under a certain level, that shouldn't matter. Korik split off from him, moving off to the side and pulling away from the Ogre that was slightly frostbitten over towards him, leaving the other two for him Gwent to face.

One of them came upon Gwent and swung his club with enough force to splatter any normal man into literal paste across the ground. And even if it wouldn't kill them outright, the swing had enough speed for them to not be able to react properly but this was not the case for the Demon. He found that the swing appeared to be slow. Very slow. So much so that, in his perception, it took 3 relative seconds for the weapon to get within' striking distance of him. Chalking this up to his natural perceptiveness getting a boost to his supernatural body, he rose an arm to block the attack. There was a massive cracking noise when the weapon met the limb.

Darian wanted to shield his eyes as he thought that Gwent's body crumbled from the force of that blow but continued to watch out of sheer horror. Only…what he thought happened didn't happen. There were no broken bones. Instead, Gwent stayed in the exact same spot, not looking phased. Ht club, however, lost its top half entirely, which laid in the grass. Gwent's arm was still raised in its locked position.

"What…?" Zaryusu whispered from seeing the spectacle. Did that really not affect that being at all? Even he felt the force of that impact from where he stood, so he found it amazing that this red creature wasn't phased. Was it a fluke of some kind of an enhancement spell? He then saw the second Ogre trying out his own club on Gwent but he just raised his left hand this time. He didn't block it but caught the weapon instead, another feat just as impressive as the first.

Gwent smirked after realizing that his hunch was correct and he didn't even take any damage from the strikes at all. His arm and palm weren't even numb from the strikes. So, with his left hand, he yanked the club from the second Ogre while the first one dropped his useless club and backed off. With his new improvised weapon, Gwent lunged forward and, with a grunt and a strong sideways swing, he struck the second Ogre in the torso. The strength behind the strike was enough to blow the entire top-half of its body into a bloody mess, leaving only the legs which fell to the ground.

"WHAT!?" Both Darian and Zaryusu shouted at the same time, not able to hide their emotions. That did _not_ just happen, right!? Well, unless they were living in a dream, and Darian would know, then their eyes weren't deceiving them. A single hit and that Ogre, a monster that Darian knew would take strong adventurers to defeat, was just blown to smithereens. Yet before they could process what they saw, the first Oger roared at seeing his companion get killed in such a manner. Being a very unintelligent creature did not figure to run and instead, tried to punch Gwent as if it would make a difference.

Seeing the punch, Gwent dropped the club and spin on a leg so that he could collide his right fist with the Ogre's left one. The instant it made contact, the beasts arm exploded in a spray of blood and flesh. The Ogre grabbed the bloody stump of its arm while roaring in anguish, stumbling back. Using his tail, Gwent wrapped the tip around the club and flicked it back into his hand. He then threw it at the Ogre's head, making its skull explode from the force at the club sailed until it punched through a tree. It's corpse fell over as well.

For Korik, the other Ogre was trying to beat him in a contest of strength by locking their hands together. It had its own club destroyed by Zaryusu so it resorted to getting physical…except getting physical was literally Korik's specialty, due to him being a [Monk]. Like Gwent, there was no real force behind the tub of lards pushing and it was actually digging small trenches in the ground trying to push him.

Korik gave a 'tch'. "Is that really all you got? Boss wasn't kiddin' when he said we got nothin' to worry about." He pushed the Ogre back, making him stumble and pinwheel his arms to try and get his center of gravity. Korik dashed forward and delivered three quick jabs to its belly and chest. Said jabs carried enough force to punch three holes 2 extra sizes compared to his fist into the Ogre. It gave a pained groan and looked at its body where the holes were. Korik wasn't finished and he ran forward and front flipped in the air, while throwing out his right leg at its head, making it explode into mush. It fell to its side, dead to the world while the Hobgoblin landed on his feet. Korik flexed his hands while looking over to Gwent, who was looking over the Ogres with a calculating gaze.

Korik looked to his own Ogre and had a pretty good idea what was going on through his boss' head. _'We killed 'em…but they aren't dropping any kind of items like YGGDRASIL would do. Just blood….and the smell of donkey ass coming from 'em. Ugh.'_ Korik jogged over to Gwent who caught his attention and smirked. They exchanged a quick high-five.

"Seems like you were right Boss. We've gotta be the strongest people around." Korik brought up while Gwent nodded. He turned his head to look back at the Ogres he killed.

"Seems like we've still got a lot to learn about this world though. If items aren't dropped from monsters then we should be a bit more conservative about how we use consumables. But since we have assloads, we don't have to worry too much about running out for a while. Still best to try and find ways to replace them."

"Mister Gwent! Mister Korik!" Darian ran over to them full tilt before he slowed down as to not bowl them over, though they wondered if he even could since they were like steel walls compared to anyone else. Darian's eyes were sparkling as he got in their faces. "Just wow! WOW! How did you two DO that!? No one is so strong that they could do that to Ogres but you two treated it as if they were nothing! And Mister Gwent, I thought you were a magic caster but you fought more like a warrior and you two were so cool! I KNEW that making you my teacher was the best choice!"

Gwent tilted his head back and sighed. "Ugh, again with that? I never even said I was-"

"Um…e-excuse me?" They stopped when they turned to see Zaryusu making his way over to them. He made sure to avoid the corpses and the blood that was splattered across the grass while he also kept a healthy distance from the two _monsters_ plus the human that was standing in front of him. And when he called those two monsters, he meant that in a more endearing way but this still made him very wary to get close to them. "I…h-how could…how did you two do that?"

Darian looked to him. "Oh, man. An actual Lizardman. I've never seen one before! I'm just experiencing so many new things!"

Ignoring that comment, Korik smirked to said Lizardman. "What? _You_ wanna do that or something?"

Zaryusu, who was still holding onto [Frost Pain], only to give a small comfort to himself. Though seeing a human among these two beings, especially one who seemed to have been a little naïve, eased his nerves a substantial amount. "I don't even know how you did that in the first place."

Gwent shrugged. "Nothing to it. We're just very strong. You're lucky we were in the area."

Zaryusu nodded. "Y-Yes. Thank you for your aid. But I have to know, just who are you? What _are_ the two of you?"

Gwent nodded and said, "I'm Inzariz 'Gwent' Xorgran. But you can address me as Gwent. I'm a Demon which is a powerful supernatural being ranging from various types. But there isn't a whole lot that I know of at the moment as strong as I am."

"And I'm Korik, Boss' main partner." The Goblin flexed, "I'm an evolved form of Goblin, known as a Hobgoblin. We're smarter and stronger than the normal type but I'm the strongest"

Darian stepped forward and gave a smile. "My name is Drain Kletus, a magic caster. I can cast magic at the 2nd Tier and I'm Mister Gwent's new pupil!"

"Darian, the hell!?" Gwent exclaimed while Zaryusu relaxed even more as placed his weapon in the sash-section of his scarf.

"I see. I know of humans and Goblins but this is my first time learning of a Demon. The world really _is_ full of a lot of amazing things. Oh, my name is Zaryusu Shasha. I'm a Lizardman from the Green Claw Tribe."

"Zaryusu, huh? Well, what are you doing out here, fighting Ogre's? You didn't seem like you had that shit handled." Gwent said with crossed arms.

"I…" Zaryusu didn't know if he should explain the full story of why he was out on his own. Maybe these people weren't hostile but he felt no need to go into detail about his situation. "I'm out here to help my tribe. Something bad happened recently and, to help my tribe get back to supporting itself, I chose to become what Lizardmen know as a Traveler." He points to the mark on his chest. "We go out into the world to discover many of its secrets and those fortunate enough to make it back share those secrets and knowledge with our tribes to make them prosper in better ways. So, I'm basically on a journey until I can continue to grow in strength and knowledge to be of better use to them."

Gwent gave a smile. "Hey, that sounds pretty cool. Korik and I are also traveling the world. We want to know as much as we can learn about it too."

Zaryusu perks up from hearing that. "Really?" When they nodded, he placed a claw under his chin, tail lightly swishing behind him in contemplation. His gaze fell to Darian and remembered what he said earlier before an idea came to mind. He got to his knees before Gwent and bowed his head, which made Gwent take a step back from seeing the action. Korik couldn't help but get a small grin on his face.

"Please. Would you do me the honor of allowing to journey with you!?"

"Wait, huh!?" Gwent reacted jerking arm near his face while his eyes went wide. What the hell was WITH the people in this New World!?

Zaryusu didn't notice this and continued to speak. "I've already told you why I am on this quest of mine. I need to help my tribe in any way possible and yet I might not have survived that encounter just now with those Ogres. I realize even more now that strength is just as important as knowledge. I wish that you would allow me to come on your journey into this vast world while you take me on as your second student!"

Gwent couldn't believe this was happening a second time! He didn't even take on a _first_ student yet Darian _and_ Zaryusu were convinced that was the case. He didn't even know if he had it in him to turn the guy down. But that hope was dashed when Korik pointed to Zaryusu.

"Boss would be more than happy to bring you along! Just make sure to address him with an appropriate title."

"KORIK!" Gwent exclaimed with hilariously wide eyes.

Zaryusu looked with a big grateful smile on his face. "I can respect that. Then I shall address you as my Master, if that's alright, Gwent."

"Master!? I-" he tried to say but Korik spoke again.

"And I'm the Commander but calling me Korik is fine."

Darian fist-pumped the air while Zaryusu got back to his feet. "Alright! Not just me but we've got a Lizardman, too!? Best day ever!"

Zaryusu looked to them and gave a grateful nod and smile. "Thank you so much for this opportunity, Master! I'll definitely make it up to you someday! You as well, Commander!"

Korik grinned while giving a more mischievous look to his Boss. "I mean, it's a great idea, right, Boss? Having companions can make going about exploring the world even easier and more exciting. I'm sure you can agree to that."

"Korik…you…" Gwent tried to be upset with him but he couldn't. Not after that kind of logic. The more the merrier was definitely a true phrase though he's never really taught anyone anything before. While he could easily teach Zaryusu how to better himself, after he learned of his [Job Classes] of course, Darian was another story. He couldn't cast magic since he wasn't a magic caster but a warrior. He COULD use magic items due to his racial abilities but…

' _Dammit. I guess I'm gonna have to find ways to help him make the same kind of progress...Korik, you asshole. You're loving this, aren't you?'_ He sighed and nodded his head in agreement, which had Korik exclaim "Alright, Boss!"

Darian spoke up. "So, where are we heading off too, Mister Gwent?"

Gwent looked to the enthusiastic human he blew only 10 minutes ago, trying to not sound tired over not being able to deny the three of them their wants for tagging along.

"I just wanted to go to a village."

* * *

Alright! I was trying to post this Friday but things happened and I wasn't able to do so but it doesn't matter. So, yes, the main lemon and then the lime right after is going to be happening quite frequently the further we get into the story. And there will be, as I said before, various fetishes and gender combo's regarding said lemons. I'll keep letting you guys know when a lemon is gonna be in a chapter.

And because I let you people know the kind of lemons that'll be in this story and don't surprise you with them, you can't afford to get on my ass about it. Okay, enough about lemons. Yes, Zaryusu is in the fold now and he, along with an OC (Darian), will be tagging along with Gwent and Korik. Already canon is going to be changing in a noticeable way just from Zaryusu being here and I can't wait to have fun with him, and I don't mean that in a sexual way. I mean that in changing the things his character experiences. It's not every day one gets to travel with a being that is supposed to be the stuff of legends (Players).

If you guys are wondering 'why Zaryusu', it's because I LOVED the Lizardman Heroes arc and yet NO WRITERS ever seems to want to go that extra step and give them a bone. I mean there are a LOT of things that are better than being culled and then subjugated under Senior Bonehead. And they got a lot of character development in such a short time, too. So, while I'm focusing on Zaryusu, I'll eventually be treating the rest of Lizardman with what I feel they deserved.

Dark Souls references. Gwent's [Ultra Greatsword] (DS1,2,3) and the [Untrue Dark Ring] (DS3).

Oh, yeah. Why did Gwent suck Darius off while he was sleep? Some of you might think he was taking advantage of him and I can't stop you from thinking that…but REMEMBER, he's got new instincts as an Incubus! A Sex Demon! H's going through the same motions Ainz did due to his new skeleton body, which slowly eroded away his humanity! Gwent is going to be more and more prone to sexual encounters, even if it seems like he took advantage of Darian but he's not gonna go off the deep end and RAPE someone! Besides, getting sucked saved Darian's life, so where are your arguments there, lol?


	3. Monsters

For those of you that are favoriting and following this story, thank you so much. I know that it isn't really much of anything right now and that it's being bypassed by people who _immediately_ want Ainz in the picture or something, but I'm glad that I can make it enjoyable to those of that stick around for it. I DO wish more people would review and give me their opinions but, oh, well. This is mainly a project that I wanted to see come to life and reviews or no reviews, this is happening.

Anyway, to reiterate, yes, Zaryusu is along for the ride and will be in the foreseeable future, along with my 3rd OC, Darian Kletus, the magic caster. Gwent, a powerful demon and Incubus, is now a reluctant teacher to them due to his sex partner, NPC companion, Korik. And I'm not sure…but I think Korik may be part _troll_. : )

Q & A:

 **MadDan90:** Jesus Christ, Dan, lol! Thanks for that hyper-over positive review! Now, I know that you've been helping me plan this story for literally a whole year but I realize that I had to do everything else on my own, including getting my facts right for canon things, tweaking my own material so that it seems like it works logically, etc. Honestly, I'm surprised that you said that NO ONE else, or VERY RARELY does anyone who writes Overlord stories about the transfer actually has their characters REACT to it!

I mean, for one, these are people who are, not only getting new _bodies_ but are getting teleported to a world they've never heard of! Why DON'T people take that into consideration and have their characters question everything that's going on and the changes they went through? It's a story, not a summarization essay! Don't GLOSS over this shit just because we know how the transfer works! LOL. Wow, I went off on a tangent there, huh? Oh, and I'm glad you love Darian! Yeah, I wanted to write him out SO BAD and I'm glad I got to show off how HIGHLY impressionable he is. And I'm glad you loved the other interactions too with the other characters.

 **Generation Zero:** You wanted more, you got more! And will GET more. Trust me.

 **FlameSpitterNinjutsu:** Awww! You's making me blush! Thanks a million!

 **TheRangerBoy:** Well I'm glad that I didn't spring a random lemon on you that you wouldn't have known when to skip and, in turn, drop this story due to it. Yes, I believe all authors who have lemons in their stories, should at least let the populace KNOW that said story will have sex and when it's gonna be in the chapter.

 **White:** You're welcome, lol. Don't know why you're thanking me but if this fic is making you happy then I'm glad.

 **Chapter 3: Monsters**

' _Good lord, what even IS today?'_

That was the single thought that ran through Gwent's mind as he walked through the open space of the forest with Korik and his two new _students_. That was still amazingly unbelievable and that was mainly due to the fact that both situations were highly circumstantial! He looked to Darian, who was busy conversing with Zaryusu, who seemed to have been slightly uncomfortable with the human's rambling. Thankfully, Korik had lightly jabbed him in the arm, Darian rubbing the sore location, and told him to slow down his talking.

All he wanted to do was have some fun with an unconscious guy and test his new body in battle. How did that translate to being a teacher? He didn't mind the company at all, that wasn't the issue. He was just worried that he wouldn't be the kind of guy that the two of them might've been expecting out of him.

Darian wanted magic lessons.

Zaryusu wants knowledge with strength on the side.

The latter of the two seemed easier to work with, in a way. He didn't know what kind of knowledge Zaryusu wanted since he was kind of vague about it but maybe he could get those kinds of answers later on. Darian was still the issue here. Gwent did possess [Skills] that could be attributed to magic due to his [Racial Classes] but that wasn't something he could rely on for teaching purposes as [Skills] don't require mana, or MP, though Gwent prefers mana. Especially since this isn't a video game world but a real one where things like stats weren't really a thing and where monsters didn't drop items.

That was going to complicate a few things down the road. Now, Gwent was not all that worried about having this kind of knowledge and, thankfully, knowing something like this as early as he did, was a good step in the right direction. No, he didn't necessarily _gain_ anything from this but he IS armed with the knowledge of not over-relying on items with limited uses. Thankfully, he has a lot of other shit that he can use indefinitely and with the knowledge that [Lore Items] worked as their flavor text described them to work, he was going to do more experiments involving them.

Maybe there was an answer somewhere in how to help Darian progress as a magic caster. From what he's seen of the guy, he's greener than Korik, and that's an amazement. How the hell did this guy survive up to this point before Gwent came and saved him? Ogre's were capable of being taken out with 2nd Tier spells but the minimum point of beating them is 3rd Tier and that's only if there is a small amount of them. 3 at the max for a single magic caster and even then, they'd have to be smart in their casting and allotting their EXP to their appropriate stats.

' _I guess I'm going to have to see the kid in action myself to get a feel for how strong he is. I can't use YGGDRASIL strength to calculate people's abilities in this world. It's not a fair comparison. I need to learn what strength is by definition of THIS place and try to work around that.'_

"So, Mister Gwent?" Gwent snapped out of his inner-monologing to see said magic caster staring at him. "What's this village that you wanted to go to, again?"

"It's called Kokoto Village, which Korik and I saw on the map that we have."

Korik spoke up. "Thing is, we don't really know a thing about it, so we're going there to see if we can get more information on the world."

Zaryusu nodded in understanding. "That's a good enough reason in my opinion. It's best to go somewhere where there are many other people for something along that kind of nature. I may have not been traveling for more than a few days but it's just common sense."

Korik snapped a finger at him and gave a nod. "Uh-huh. That's right."

"We aren't expecting much," Gwent started, "but anything, at this point, I can work with. Resources, locations, currency, even this whole thing about adventurers and stuff."

Darian rose his eyebrows. "Wow, you two really don't know an adventurer is?"

Zaryusu looked to him as well. "Well, I'm also new to the term. Though, I'm suspecting they…go on adventures…" The Lizardman said a bit lamely. Though he didn't feel all that embarrassed as Gwent and Korik either nodded in agreement of said 'uh-huh'.

"Wow," Darian said in amazement, mainly at them not knowing such a wide-spread concept, "you guys are more out of the loop then I thought you were."

"Well, to be fair, I was born and raised among my tribe and the only others we interacted with were other Lizardmen. No humans at all and I'm honestly the first Traveler of my generation the Green Claw tribe. Not to mention Traveler, besides not occurring in out people a lot, either make lives outside their tribes or die out in the world."

Gwent raised a finger. "And Korik and I haven't explored the world at all either. Well…more like, we stayed in a more isolated location. Not to mention demons, from your reaction Darian, aren't a normal thing."

Darian gave a nervous laugh, remembering how scared he was just a while ago. "Yeah…um, that. Well, it's more along the lines of demons and devils are just…evil. Not common to see but whenever they are, they're known to hurt people and destroy things."

Gwent grunted with a nod. Honestly, he wasn't all that surprised by this information. As far as he knows, the majority of Demons are just violent creatures no matter the universe or world they're from. Finding a positive Demon in any realm that has them is like finding a needle in the Empire State Building. Gwent wondered what it would be like to find one of the Demon's in this world and compare them to what he knows in YGGDRASIL.

"I'm curious about something else. Darian, Zaryusu, how old are the two of you?"

They both looked to one another while Zaryusu tilted his head a bit in curiosity.

"Why do you wish to know something like that, Master?"

"No real reason. I'm just curious is all. Besides, one's age can speak about their experience by itself sometimes."

"If it makes you feel any better," Korik began to say, "we'll tell you our ages too. Should make you guys feel a bit more comfortable."

Darian thought about it before nodding. "Well…if that's the case then…I'm 20 years old." Korik gave a small laugh while Gwent snicked himself, which had Darian blush and huff at them. "And what's so funny about that!?"

Gwent grinned at him and elaborated. "Not even 21? I knew you were a kid but damn. Oh, well, only one more year until you can drink alcohol." Darian just huffed and crossed his arms.

"Hey, I'm not a kid, you know? I'm basically an adult…except for the alcohol part."

Zaryusu rose an eye-ridge in confusion. "I'm…not understanding. What does having to have lived 21 summers have to do with drinking alcohol?"

Darian nervously laughed. "Well…for humans, 21 is supposed to be the age where you're considered a full-grown adult. Technically, when you turn 16, that's when a human is allowed to marry and stuff. 18 is considered full adult so, I'm not sure what being 21 has to do with it. What about Lizardmen?"

Zaryusu looked up in through before he shrugged. "We don't have anything as unusual as that. There is no line separating child and adult. You're either one or the other after growing to a certain point. Then you're expected to pull your weight and assist in your tribe however that may be." He then blinked and realized that he forgot to answer their question. "Oh, that's right. I've lived for 25 summers myself."

Gwent nodded to Darian and Zaryusu, filing the info that they gave him. While he did want to know more about Lizardman culture, knowing about the culture of humans in this world was more important in the long run. Impressively, their take on what one could do at certain ages was similar. 16 is the age of consent. 18 is the age of legal adult and 21 is the drinking age. He was glad that at least, that is similar to Earth.

"'Kay then," Korik spoke up, breaking him from his thoughts, "guess I can take my turn. I'm 32. Unbelievable, I know. I look pretty damn good for it, huh?" He said this while cupping his chin and smirking to them but the two students just sweatdropped and mumbled agreements, to which, Korik laughed at the thought of them being modest.

' _And I gave him age as well…wait for a second…didn't I put he was 30 in his flavor text? Where did 32 come from?'_ His eyebrows knit closer as he thought about it. He _knows_ what age he gave his NPC to be. Unlike virtually all NPC's created by people, they won't bother to give them something like ages. Usually, because they don't make them to seriously RP unless you consider the guild Ainz Ooal Gown, but even then, he doesn't recall any of the PC's giving their NPC's something as simple as ages. Back to topic, as he thought about it, he did make Korik during his second year into the game, January 1st, to be exact.

He's played for a total of 3 years and he passed by January 1st twice during that time up until this point. His eyes widened at the prospect of such a simple thing being recalled by the Goblin, who was currently, going over with the two about how Goblin's age compared to other races. How they mature very fast after being born yet can live very, very, long. Especially the ones who can evolve into even more powerful versions of Goblins. Both Darian and Zaryusu seemed to have been sucking in this information.

' _Holy fucking shit! Korik has a birthday! Korik KNOWS his birthday passed twice!? He IS 32 years old!'_ Gwent realized in amazement. And from the info, he cataloged in his [Game Encyclopedia] because Korik was the pinnacle of [Hobgoblin], even having the Goblin secret class, he could live for as long, maybe even longer than the conventional Elf. And Elves could live for thousands of years. Because of this, being 32 didn't mean shit to someone with longevity like that.

"Boss? Helloooo?"

Gwent, once again, snapped out of his thoughts, finding it annoying that he's been doing that a lot lately. He looked down to Korik who was looking at him expectingly. "Oh, uh…yeah?"

"Tried to get your attention. How old are ya'?"

"Oh, yeah." Gwent, loathe as he would, thought about it. Lie about his age to seem like An old, powerful, demon? Aw, what the hell? He suggested this anyway.

"I'm 24 years old," he said with a shrug. Yeah, telling the truth wasn't going to kill him or anything.

Korik was surprised to hear his Boss' real age, along with Darian. He would've suspected that Gwent would be much older than that, mainly due to both his species and his deep voice. He sounded as if he was in his 40s but he was a year younger than Zaryusu? Speaking of the Lizardman, he didn't find that it was all that surprising for Gwent's age as he hasn't once suspected his age for any reason.

Korik looked at Gwent, surprise on his features. "Whoa, seriously!? You're that much younger than I am!? I never would've guessed, Boss!"

Darian nodded in agreement rapidly. "Y-Yes! I mean, you sound so much older than I suspected! And all Demons I've heard of in stories are always very old."

Gwent pouted a little bit, suddenly wishing that he lied. "Well, what's the big deal about me being 24? Honestly, I don't see it as much of an issue," he pointed to Zaryusu who was a bit put off by the action, "Zaryusu doesn't care how old I am, right?"

"I…u-um…" His tail swished a little, a Lizardman's way of being flustered, "it's not like I know much about Demon's or anything regarding age that's not Lizardman related. I have no room to judge in this regard."

"Regardless, thank you, unlike two others," Gwent turned his head away from Korik and Darian who were trying to apologize but the Demon just ignored them with an indifferent wave of his hand. These playful bouts of dialogue continued until they came upon much less forest and more main road. Looking past the trees from their position, they could see their destination off in the distance. A village that was built among the woodlands surrounding it, with decently sized barricades surrounding it. The only entrance was the path that leads to it, so they would be out in the open as they approached.

"I'm assuming that is Kokoto Village then?" Zaryusu wondered while Korik nodded.

"Most likely. I'd be very surprised if it wasn't."

Darian got a concerned look on his face. "Hold on, you three can't really expect to just stroll through the front gate! I mean…no offense to you Zaryusu. Demi-Human's aren't common but those of your kind would possibly just be watched at the most."

"It's fine. I'm sure I'll get used to it," Zaryusu agreed with a nod.

Darian gave him a small smile but then looked at Gwent and Korik. "But you two are a different story. Goblins just aren't liked _at all_ and I don't even know _what_ to say about you Mister Gwent. Demon's don't normally walk around but the mere sight of you would frighten those people even more than seeing Commander Korik."

"Yeah, we kinda figured that earlier Darian. But thanks for the confirmation," Gwent said, "besides, we've got a way around that."

Gwent and Korik focused on the power of their [Untrue Dark Rings] before they both activated, coating them in a small light before it vanished. The human and Lizardman gasped at the sight of the two, now human, males in front of them. They saw Gwent now was wearing very impressive looking steel armor…and he had an enormous sword on his back. Something that looked as if it was impossible to be wielded by any human. Zaryusu figured that blade was definitely a foot longer than the blade his brother wielded but it wasn't thicker. He was sure his brother's sword was heavier.

Korik looked…the exact same. He just wasn't green but dark-skinned, his ears weren't pointed, and his nose was fully human-like. Korik checked out as much of his exposed body as he could. "Huh. So this is what being a human is like? Weird."

Darian's eyes lit up fiercely. He brought his hands up to his face and began to bounce on his toes as if he was a little kid. "No! WAY! How did you two _do_ that!? Just what kind of magic was it!? You're both humans! Or is it just a disguise!?"

Zaryusu was just as amazed as Darian, if not, more so due to him not having an inkling of magic knowledge outside of what he's seen from his own tribe. Seeing such magic was something he never could've dreamed of, where one could disguise themselves so perfectly as another race.

"I agree with Darian! Was that some form of disguise magic!?"

Laughing at their expressions, the two held up their hands to show their rings. Korik was the one who spoke though. "It's actually these beauties. Special magic rings."

Darian leaned in closer to Korik's hand, getting a better look at it. "Illusion magic then."

Gwent shrugged. "In a way," he then shook his head, "but also untrue. Our outer appearances ARE human. If you felt my backside, you wouldn't feel a tail and if you touch my hair, you won't feel my horns. These [Untrue Dark Rings] are special. They turn any non-human into a human in outer appearance just by thinking about it."

"Also, our power is changed like this," Korik began to explain, "humans are weaker that Demi-Humans. So, we aren't as strong as we originally would be like this. Our power is comparable to that of humans who would've reached our level."

Zaryusu blinked, taking in everything that was just said. "And yet…we still don't know _how_ strong you both truly are. And yet you possess rings of such power?"

Darian just kept smiling brightly. "Magic items that can do magic on such a specific level is rarer than rare and virtually impossible to get! Have you apprised those!?"

Gwent deadpanned. "Darian, we'll go into that stuff later. But I wanna get to the village quickly, thank you."

He stood up while Darian scratched in cheek in embarrassment at getting immensely engrossed at the new magic. But he couldn't help it. He wanted to learn as much about magic as he can and seeing such a spectacle really got his blood pumping. Zaryusu is well, just not in the same way and not on the same level. He was more interested in that he just learned something amazing from his Master and Commander, even though he was not a magic caster himself. Magic items like those rings possessed was perfect for infiltration into human settlements.

Even though they didn't know it, Darian and Zaryusu were helping to fill Gwent's knowledge base steadily. Even though said knowledge wasn't much to make use of, it was the little details that could hold the most influence. Magical items like his [Untrue Dark Ring] weren't common and apparently, neither was illusion magic on this level either. Meaning that he and Korik would have to be more careful about the kinds of items that they use around the general public. The strength expectation lessened once again but not too much. It was nice to keep a healthy level of optimism on something he knew nothing about. He might be surprised later on for all he knew.

As they were walking down the dirt path, coming upon a large gate. Well, more of an entry-way. There were two very tall carved-logs, supported by smaller ones. They dug into the grass on the edge of the dirt path with a sign that read 'Kokoto Village' just overheard. They saw two people were guarding either side of it. Two men, one with shaggy black hair and a bandage on his nose. The second one, wearing a bandana to cover most of his brown hair and softer features than the other one. They were wearing, what seemed to have been, leather armor, with steel swords.

Korik glanced to Darian, who looked apprehensive at seeing the armed me raising their weapons to them. The disguised Goblin bumped his arm with his elbow. "Don't worry about them. Just act like nothing will happen. Boss and I will do all the talkin'.'

Darian gulped and took a breath, trying to calm himself. "R-Right, Commander."

Zaryusu noticed the expressions the men were wearing, especially as they looked at him. He then looked to Gwent and said, "I apologize for this Master but it seems that me being here might cause a few issues."

Gwent, keeping up his jolly façade for when he took this form, looked to him. Even though it was a false face, Zaryusu could tell that his smile was also a true one at the same time, for Gwent knew how to smile at someone to make them feel better. A real smile, at that.

"Zaryusu, don't worry about it. Once they see that you're harmless, they won't do anything. Besides, it's not like we're here to do much of anything. We mainly just want a map and learn about a few other things that can help us in the long run."

The Lizardman, feeling a bit more relaxed at his teacher's words, gave a small smile himself and nodded. As they got closer, Zaryusu couldn't help but notice small clumps of upturned dirt that seemed to be in a consistent line. He filed away this information, even if it didn't seem like anything important. Pretty soon, they were standing a fair distance away from the guards, who ran in front of the gate and brandished their swords. They had also caught the attention of some bystanders who were walking through the town, that chose to stop and look at the group of four.

"That's far enough! Who are the four of you and what are you doing here!?" The guard on the left demanded.

Gwent held up his armored hands. "I'm sorry for us coming through unannounced. We're not here to cause any trouble. We're just trying to get some information is all."

This time, the guard on the right spoke. "Information on what exactly? Who are you lot anyway? Adventurers…with a Demi-Human, to boot? Seems pretty weird if you ask me."

Gwent scratched the back of his head. "Ugh, again with that. No, sir, we aren't adventurers. I don't even know what you guys define as an 'Adventurer' anyway. My companion and I aren't from this continent."

Korik figured that was his time to pick up the slack. "He means me. We arrived here only yesterday but we don't know shit about this Re-Estize Kingdom, ya' hear? We just wanna talk to someone, maybe the chief or leader of this place so he can give us general knowledge and maybe even a map. The one we have only shown us the current area but nothing else."

The two guards looked them over, not able to find any deceit in their features. They weren't sure what to make of the two of them, especially since they claimed to not be adventurers. But if they came from another continent, and because of their skin tone, they must've, then they could just be warriors from their home. But then their eyes shifted to Darian, who still looked nervous and Zaryusu, who didn't have a change in expression. The guard on the left pointed to them.

"And those two?"

Gwent placed his hands on his hips and grinned proudly with a laugh. "Well, if you must know, they're actually my new students! I haven't taught 'em a damn thing yet but I'm sure that I'll be able to think of something later!"

This declaration immediately dissolved all the tension hanging around the guards and even Gwent's party. Korik snickered at how his Boss was trolling again while the other's sweatdropped at his jolly-bluntness. The guards then shook their heads and walked to either side of the gate.

"Okay, then. Can't really believe someone as easy-going as you could do something bad." The left guard said.

"Just don't cause problems and everything will be fine, alright? You four can go through." The right one said with a small sigh, not at all worried from that little display.

Gwent threw his fist in the air. "Nice! You two are great! Let's go, everyone!"

Zaryusu's and Darian's sweatdrops just grew in size as they slid further down their heads. _'Is this seriously the same person I chose to follow? What a personality shift.'_ This is a thought they both shared unknowingly as they walked under the wooden entrance. As they walked through, they all took a look around the place and were pretty interested in it, though Zaryusu seemed to have taken more of a shine to it from the look in his eyes.

There were barely any signs of anything purely man-made. Nothing was made of stone. Starting at the entrance, here were decent-sized wooden fences that lined the outside of the village, preventing anything short of an 8-foot tall creature to pass over them. All of the houses were made of wood and hay, yet none could see indoors, not that they were that privy. Houses weren't placed in sections and the dirt path seemed to seamlessly branch out to various location, while still making every location seem interconnected. Better yet, there were a ton of grass and plants around, indicating this village was created with nature highly in mind.

People whispered as they walked by, mainly as they looked to Gwent, Korik, and Zaryusu, yet no one showed any kind of open hostility. While Gwent was purely curious, Zaryusu felt very out of place. This was his first time in a village that was full of humans, with abodes-styles that peaked his fancy. His tribe had tons of wood in the forest they lived near, yet they didn't go so over-the-top when it came to creating their huts. Just the necessary size to hold the necessary amount of Lizardmen, depending on who was living there. Zaryusu, himself, lives alone so his house was average in size. A family of four would have dwellings at least twice as big but no more than that.

' _I wonder what humans need all of that extra space for in these houses of theirs. I should definitely learn more about that.'_ Housing plans set in his mind, he continued to follow Gwent.

Speaking of the armored individual, he stopped in the middle of the path and poked out his bottom lip. It would be best if someone could lead them to the leader of this place instead of walking around without a clue. He turned to two villagers, a light-skinned man wearing a brown hat and a woman with a red non-attached hood, which reached to her back, who noticed his gaze. Putting on a gentle smile, he rose a hand, pausing his party, and walked over to them, looking nowhere near as imposing as they thought he might.

"Hello, there. I'm sorry to both ya' and all but my friends and I are in a bit of trouble. We…sort of have _no_ idea where to….go, exactly? I and the shortest one are new to this kingdom so, we were hoping if you could direct us to the leader of this place. I think they can help us out."

They look at each other before the man shrugged. "Well, if that's the case then I can help," he pointed to the house at the end of the village, "the chief lives in that house. He's an old and short man so it'll be hard to miss him."

Gwent nodded in understanding. "Thanks!" Walking back to his posse he pointed to the house. "That house there. Let's go."

"Okay," Zaryusu and Darian said with nods, Darian smiling between the two of them. Korik stayed silent but he nodded anyway.

Walking through Kokoto Village, they couldn't get over how there was a good amount of people roaming around, mainly by the produce and small market locations off the corner of the main road. There wasn't a whole sleuth of people but there was definitely more than they expected to find, granted that they didn't see a whole lot when they were on the other side of the gate.

Korik looked around the markets. "For such a quaint place, it's definitely got a decent population."

Gwent noticed that people were giving him looks as he passed by. At first, he thought they were looking at their whole group, and some probably were, but most of them were directed more-so to him. Though the ones aimed at Zaryusu and Korik didn't escape him either. He couldn't help but give himself a once-over, making sure that nothing odd about him stood out. The ring was working perfectly; no demonic traits anywhere. Same for Korik as he appeared to be a perfectly stout human.

' _So….how come they think the two of us are something to give a passing glance at?'_

Just as the thought made it's way across his brain, he realized it immediately. There was nothing but Caucasian people around him. No other kind of ethnicity. No black, no red, no yellow…just a lot of white. White with blonde hair or the occasional brown or black hair. Korik, the perceptive man he was, seemed to have also figured it out as his eyes scanned the people who were scanning him. Gwent rose a finger to his chin.

' _Do…do dark-skinned people not exist in this world or something? Oh, man, that's definitely interesting…and pretty scary thought in a meta sort of way. You're saying that even as humans we stand out!?'_ He sighed and scratched the back of his head.

Zaryusu looked around as well but noticed that a good amount of people had a few guards around them. No…not guards. These people were definitely more experienced than the ones they met out in front, for they wore heavier light armor or light steel armor. Their swords seemed finely sharpened as well. One thing he noticed about all of them was that they had some sort of plates around their necks, varying from copper and iron. Those with copper plates had groups of 4 while the iron plates had groups of 3 or 2.

It wasn't just him either. Gwent noticed this trait as well along with Darian since he was gazing at everything and everyone in amazement.

"Man, I had no idea that adventurers worked all the way out here," Darian said in awe.

"So, these men in armor are adventurers then?" Zaryusu asked. Gwent decided to add his input.

"It's those…plates around their necks. Korik and I met four adventurers yesterday and they wore those same plates," Gwent said, showing that he knew at least something about adventurers.

Zaryusu took notice of those plates, wondering about the variations in material. "Okay, I see. Am I to assume that the different plates indicate some form of rank? Darian?" The Lizardman turned to the magic caster since he was currently the most knowledgeable one when it came to adventurers.

"Yup! From lowest to highest, the ranks are Copper - Iron - Silver - Gold - Platinum - Mythril - Orichalcum – Adamantite."

Korik rose an eyebrow as he looked at the adventurers. "So, these guys are just the runts in the ranks, huh? But does the ranking stop only at adamantine or is there some kind of hidden faction with even stronger adventurers?"

Darian looked very confused at the question, not entirely sure how to answer that. "Well…the thing is, there isn't a stronger material in the world over adamantite, which is why it's at the highest. So, no, there isn't a reason it stops there other than it's the best there is, meaning adamantite adventurers are the strongest people there is."

' _But only adamantite?'_ Both Gwent and Korik thought once Darian was finished explaining. This new information was definitely something to take note of, for adamantite was only a Lv.30 ore in terms of YGGDRASIL, and not even the strongest of the 'normal' ores. It was actually two steps under the highest of the normal ores before one reaches into the Prismatic Ores, which were even higher than that.

In turn, this means that, if the strongest of adventurers were ranked with a Lv.30 ore, then that means that, as far as humanoid (bipedal) creatures are concerned, that is the standard of the pinnacle of strength this world is used to seeing consistently, so they were able to rank people based on that.

"I think I'd like to learn more about these adventures later but we made it to the Chief's house, " Gwent said, making the others stare at the house in front of them. There was no actual door in place but a tarp instead, and they could hear some voices coming from the inside. They stepped closer with Gwent taking the lead, as usual, stepping in front of the tarp, if only to get an idea of what was being said.

"And I keep telling you that without stronger magic, there is no way for this issue to be properly solved! If you want a more permanent solution then this is the only thing I can think of!" This voice was that of a male adult, which carried a lot of vigor behind it. Maybe even a hint of professionalism but that isn't what was currently being heard right this moment.

"You keep saying that but the price for a permanent solution is too great. As much as I want this solved, I can't give you what you ask for a reward. I hoped the steady amount of pay for your continued service would be fine enough as is." This other voice was that of an older man. He didn't sound hostile but there was definitely an edge to his voice. Possibly from conversing with whoever the other person was for who knows how long.

"And while I appreciate the gesture, I am tired of staying in this village! It has been a month and no true progress! I feel _that_ would be proper compensation for all of the work I did here. Besides, you're going up in your years, Chief. It's not like you can properly use it anyway!"

The older man actually gave a low growl but nothing too major. "It's not about its use to me! It's about what it symbolizes and you've done nothing but lack the qualities it takes to own it!"

Having heard more than enough of whatever the hell this was, Gwent pushed the tarp open, ducked a bit due to his height, and walked inside the house, his compatriots following behind. Zaryusu also had to duck due to him being around Gwent's height. Their arrival into the abode gained the attention of the other two occupants in the room.

The first and most noticeable of the two males was a tall male. Or, at least, he was taller than the old man that he was standing beside. A guesstimate being he stood at a height of around 5'8, in Gwent's mind. His skin was of a fair tan and his hair was brown, which looked slicked and reached to his shoulders, and his eyes were brown. He wore a leather cuirass, brown boots, tan pants, and a black shirt. Overall of that was a green robe with blue rims. He had a wooden staff in his hand that had a blue crystal at the top, that was about the same size as a man's palm. He wore two rings, one on each hand and a belt with packs and pouches. On it, was also a small wooden statue of an ape of some sort. Not a monkey but also not a gorilla. Gwent chalked that up to this world having similar but different animals.

His expression was that of someone who wasn't having a happy day. If Gwent had to guess this obvious magic caster was definitely miffed about whatever the hell he and the Chief were yelling about. And it was obvious that the old man was the Chief.

The Chief stood at around 3'6. He seemed to be in his late 60s, early 70s and with no hair on his head yet he did have a long beard that reached to his chest. He wore a simple brown shirt, pants, sandals, and have a yellow robe hanging from his form. His arms were resting behind his back, studying the new group that had arrived in his abode. However, the other male was doing the same, yet with a more discouraging look at the sight of the two males of a complexion he hasn't seen before and a Lizardman. The last male, who he guessed was a magic caster by his attire, wasn't anything special from a first glance.

Gwent blinked, looked between the two and asked, "Um…am…am I interrupting something important? I can come back…" Gwent honestly wasn't sure at the moment if he should've walked in or not when they were having this argument of their's but if he let them continue, he worried that they could've gone on longer in their screaming contest. Well…one of them was technically screaming while the other was speaking sternly.

"And just who in the _world_ are the lot of you?" The other magic caster asked of them but not in a nice tone. Gwent pouted a little while Korik narrowed his eyes to him, not sure if he was gonna like this guy.

"Not trying to intrude on anything," Gwent began, "but we were just trying to talk to the Chief of this village is all. That's kinda it." Gwent looked to the old man who took a breath and composed himself.

He stepped forward and presented himself as best he could. Darian and Zaryusu were surprised that the man was so short though. The young magic caster was so _amazed_ that another human being could be so vertically challenged. He's heard a story or two about the Dwarves but he knew that this man wasn't one. A single Dwarf hasn't been seen in this country as far as he knows. Zaryusu, who is now beginning to come into contact with humans, was also amazed at the size of the Chief. Mainly because he believed that the human species was more diverse than he initially thought!

"Ahem! Greetings! I'm the Chief of Kokoto Villiage, Miowa Koto. I apologize if any of you had to were forced to hearing anything prior to walking in here." He was sincere in his apology, obviously not wanting for such an argument to get so out of hand.

Darian shook his hands rapidly and said, "Oh, no, sir! Don't apologize for that. Thing is, we should've announced we were coming in beforehand."

"Apparently," huffed the other man, who Miowa rolled his eyes at. He then addressed the new and interesting group that walked into his abode.

"Bah, let's forget about that for now, and don't mind Alern over there. He is easy to irritate. How can I help you…interesting lot? Are you adventures as well?"

Miowa asked this while walking closer to Gwent and staring up at the large man in plate mail. If he was honest, Miowa felt that this man's armor was practically flawless. The metal had a reflective sheen on it but nothing too obnoxious to reflect light into one's eye. There were no scratches, nor a single scuff mark. If he didn't know better, he would say that this gear was made by a blacksmith more experienced than the one that resided in their village, that's for certain. His eyes then drifted to the sword Gwent carried on his back.

If he was a younger, inexperienced man, he would definitely have his eyes bugged out of his head from the sheer size of it. One could not even call that a sword in proper terms but a lump of metal with a handle attached to it. He stroked his beard in curiosity. There was definitely a reason this man had such a weapon, though Miowa was not 100% sure that Gwent could use it, at least, effectively. Maybe he's just the brawny kind of fighter who focuses more on the weapon size than its efficiency.

While he had his internal monologue, Gwent shook his head. "Nope. Not adventurers. Honestly, my student here, Darian, just educated me a little on what they are and what they do. They also seem to wear those plates around their necks to signify rank and experience."

"Then…would that make you lot workers?" Miowa asked but Darian shook his head.

"Um, no. We're not workers either. Honestly, …we don't really have a way to designate ourselves yet. The four of us just became a group today. Mr. Gwent and Commander Korik here both come from another continent."

Korik grinned to Darian and shot him a thumbs-up, appreciating how he took charge at the moment. Darian blushed a bit but rubbed the back of his neck from the praise. He may have been a rookie and naïve but he was good at explaining situations if he had too.

Alern crossed his arms and huffed. "So, you're not adventurers and you're not money-grubbing workers. Yet you," he looks to Gwent, "are definitely some form of a warrior and I can say the same for your shorter companion beside you, yet you have the face of someone who's entirely clueless."

Gwent grinned and laughed a bit. "Yeah, I guess you're right. I really don't know what I'm doing…yet here I am. Traveling with my best buddy in a new land I don't understand, with two students I didn't expect to gain. I'm _super_ clueless!"

Alern looked to Zaryusu with a slight sneer, making the Lizardman raise an eye-ridge. "And why a _Lizardman_ of all things? Such backward and barbarian societies demihumans live."

"Alern!" Miowa exclaimed, turning to him.

His comments made Zaryusu narrow his eyes and clench his fangs a bit. "Hey, I don't know who you think you are but you have no right to disrespect me or my people like that. You don't know anything about how we live."

Alern rose a brow and turned his head away. "I know your people live in the mud, for one. No sentient creatures worth their self-respect should live in such a way."

Zaryusu was about to lash out again but Gwent smiled a bit and gave a light chuckle. His reaction gave him a few looks. "I don't know about that! I mean, living out in nature the way they do? I think that's one of the best ways to live compared to a large city! Those that do learn a lot of important skills, too! They learn where their food is and hunt it. They learn to skin animals and cook them properly! They learn to fish at the best spots and they learn to survive without the need for money or even protection from outside sources! I don't know much about Zaryusu's home…but I definitely do know that it has to be a place with potential in it!" Gwent blinked and then laughed again. "Whoops…got excited again. Sorry. Just…please don't talk bad about where someone lives if they don't come from a bad place, is all I'm saying."

Korik grinned and gave a light punch to Gwent's side "Ha! You tell 'em, boss! Even if it is in your weird way!"

Darian smiled and placed a hand on Zaryusu's shoulder after he reached up to grab it. The Lizardman looked at him before looking back to Gwent, who then began to speak with the Chief about the reason why they were there. Yet he couldn't focus on the conversation as he found himself to be more transfixed on his Master than when he saw him and Korik killed those Ogres. Not only did he defend Zaryusu's feelings, he felt like Gwent defended all Lizardmen in that speech, not just his tribe.

No one outside of the Lizardmen tribes knew this as far as he knew but they all did have their own systems in place regarding their own personal laws and beliefs. While they are not as advanced as human-built civilizations or even a basic human village such as this one, that did not mean they lived like savages either and had very stable communities. It filled Zaryusu with so much positivity that his new Master could say such positive things like that and mean them. The Traveler _knew_ Gwent meant those words. He was always good at reading other people, which is how he was sure.

He bowed his head in thanks. "Thank you for your kind words, Master!"

Gwent turned to him and scratched his cheek a bit, glancing away. "I-It was no problem, Zaryusu. But…you don't have to bow your head or anything," he mumbled.

"I just can't help but show my appreciation!" Zaryusu continued.

Alern gagged, grumbled and turned his head, not seeing the need to continue such a fruitless conversation while Miowa gave a hearty laugh. "My, my, boy-o! Even for a newcomer like yourself, you've got a good head on your shoulders! And such a good party of members, too! I can see why you have an entourage like them following you, even one who is a demihuman if you treat him with such respect."

Korik nodded. "You got that right, old-timer. Boss is the best and while I can't speak for these boys, I know I'd always follow him."

"I can see that," Miowa said with a nod to the disguised Goblin. "I have to say, young man, besides how you treat your compatriots, I am willing to help you get more acquainted with the Re-Estize Kingdom and as many basics as I can cover. However…erm…this might not be the proper time for that."

"Proper time? What do you mean?" Gwent asked while Miowa turned and walked back to his proper place, parallel to the rude magic caster, who was finally looking back to the man and the rest of them.

"Are we getting back to business now? Done with entertaining these…people, Miowa?" Alern watched what he said this time regarding Gwent's posse, as if not wanting to provoke the Lizardman to bite his head off. Granted, Alern was confident he could defeat him if the savage got any bright ideas.

Miowa sighed again, feeling as old as he looked. "Gwent, was it? There is honestly a problem that we have been dealing with for the past month. Something the rest of the villagers don't know about as I have kept it from their attention as best as possible."

Alern's brows furrowed before he pointed to the group. "Wait, are you really going to tell them? This is none of their business, old man! They can't-"

Miowa sent him his own glare. "In case you forgot Alern, I can hire whatever help I can if it'll make dealing with this situation any easier. And even if these fine folk aren't adventurers or even workers, that does not mean they are not capable. Not everyone walks around in armor or carries weapons. Besides, haven't you been unsuccessful all this time? Maybe some assistance will do you some good."

Alern scoffed. "Assistance? Please, old man."

"Assistance with what?" Gwent asked.

Miowa turned back to him and said, "While I would love to help you get some bearings in this kingdom, of course, I'm afraid that, at the moment, there is an issue that has cropped. Well…to be fair, it's not a _new_ issue but it is definitely one that we can't ignore. Thing is, there is a special beast that lives near our village and in the past, we never had a problem with it and vice-versa. It kept to itself and, ironically, it kept other creatures from coming anywhere close to our home."

Korik crossed his arms. "Let me guess. It's become a problem instead."

Miowa sighed. "In a way. While it does not outright come here, it has been slightly shifting the nature of the forests surrounding us with its recent rampages. It has been chasing large animals and beasts towards the roads that lead to Kokoto Villiage, where these beasts can then attack people who try to make their way here and some can get a bit _too_ close at times."

"That would explain all of the adventurers around the people," Zaryusu said while he placed a finger under his jaw in a contemplative fashion. Miowa nodded in agreement.

"We've had to tell any travelers who make it here to leave with the message that extra security is needed for them to journey here for safer passage. So, lower rank adventurers can escort travelers here. As I'm sure you noticed, the Copper Ranks have more people in their groups than those of the Iron Ranks. For obvious reasons, the Iron Ranks are more skilled so that can afford to have 1 or 2 fewer people in their groups when protecting their group of people. But Silver and up won't take something as meager as escorting people."

Darian looked confused. "But…if this has been a constant issue, this beast you talk about, then why not hire a more expensive adventurer? Silver or Gold to take care of it? You guys seem to be getting quite a bit of trade."

Miowa shook his head. "Because we don't want to _kill_ it. It is an integral part of the balance around here. Without it to fight the beasts back from this direction, then all of them will make their way here and ransack the place. Copper's and Iron's can't handle the animals that live around here. All we can do is to try and repel it or sooth whatever it making it act out in this manner."

Alern, in his posh attitude, places a hand on his chest. "Which, as you should know, has been my job for the past few weeks. I'm already at the rank of the Gold adventurer, even if I am not one myself. Meaning not only am I being generous by making my services acceptable but I have also stayed here in the village to repel this threat each time it causes problems," he then scrunched his eyebrows," however, my methods are only temporary. I can't solve this without the necessary equipment."

Miowa furrowed his own brows. "I keep telling you, that is NOT to be treated as an object of sale, Alern!"

"Um," Gwent rose his hand near his face, "I've been hearing you guys talk about some item. What is it and why is it important?"

Miowa had a look of contemplation on his face, wondering if he should reveal the item in question. He was sure that none of these people were bad and would steal it. He just did not want to have more people against him once he explained what it was and why Alern wanted it. If too many people said that same thing, he might actually be tempted to part with it…but he just sighed. He would have to take whatever response comes his way and act accordingly. He reached into his shirt and pulled out a small stick attached to a string.

Removing the tiny nail that was attached to both the string and the bulbous top of the stick, he removed the stick which then grew in his hand in a veil of green magic. Everyone's eyes went wide as the stick quickly grew into a size that was at a size where a person of acceptable height should be wielding it and not this 3ft man. The staff portion looked twisted once it got to the middle portion up until the oval-shaped top, well, topped it off.

"A magic item that changes size!? NO WAY!" Darian exclaimed with glee as he attempted to run forward to get a closer look. Korik quickly grabbed him by his pants and stopped him in place with no effort, which had the poor kid trip on his face.

"Keep _your_ wood to yourself, kid," Korik deadpanned while making an innuendo joke.

Zaryusu places a hand on the hilt of his [Frost Pain] and looked down to it. He then looked to the magical staff the old man was holding while Alern bit his lower lip as he gazed upon it. There were magical weapons out there capable of such an ability?

"How unusual…" he said, pretty mystified.

Gwent had no idea that such a thing was possible either but he just watched it. What an amazing item! Now, he DID know how in YGGDRASIL or other RPG games, it was possible to win the exact same weapon or armor off of monsters or bosses you defeat but they don't change size in real-time. They functioned like any normal drop which could then be picked up right after. He couldn't help but think about the usefulness of having a weapon or other item that could change size, no matter who the wielder was.

"A wooden staff. Wait, does that make you a magic caster?" Gwent asked.

"Yes, I am. A [Druid] to be specific but my abilities aren't as up to snuff compared to when I was younger. Alern here is also a Druid." Miowa explained.

Darian got up from his position and rubbed his sore forehead. He winced but managed to look to them both anyway. "Wait..you're both Druid's?"

Zaryusu placed a hand on Gwent's shoulder, making him look back at the Lizardmen. "I…think I'm unfamiliar with the term 'Druid'. What kind of spellcaster is that?"

"Oh. Well, Druid's are capable of using nature magic and is also experts in healing spells as well."

Gwent saw a look of recognition flashed through the Lizardman's eyes. His mouth opened a bit just like his eyes. If he had lips, he'd be making the 'O' shape with them.

"Ahhhh, I understand now!" He removed his hand and placed a fist in an open palm. "'Druid' is the humanoid term to describe Lizardman 'Priests' then! Apparently, the two are one and the same!"

Gwent's eyebrows rose in interest. "Ohhh, I never heard that term describing a [Druid] before. [Priest], huh?"

Zaryusu nodded. "Yes. My older brother who is also the chief of my tribe is one such [Priest]. He can use magic to control the earth and heal as well."

Alern scoffed. "[Priest]? Can't even get our terms… whatever. Back on topic now. Yes, I'm a [Druid] but even my abilities are not enough to permanently calm the _monster_ that rules this forest. But that staff that Miowa holds can give one of my spellcasting class incredible power. Enough to do placate the beast once and for all without killing it. But in return, I ask for said staff as payment and then I'll finally be able to leave this village and its issues back in the hands of the Chief."

Korik raised an eyebrow. "And the reason you stayed is…?"

"Because he keeps paying me to help him and, as I said, my services are cheaper than what Gold Rank adventurers WOULD be taking from him. About the price of a Silver Rank adventurer."

"I also noticed something else," Zaryusu started, "at the gate, I noticed some upturned dirt. And it didn't stop there but some went around the posts surrounding the village as well."

Miowa nodded. "Yes, that was actually me. Those are an incentive in case we have to deal with beasts coming too close. They are seeds that sprout and rapidly grow vines. Then the vines are to tie up anyone or anything hostile enough to do us harm." He then looked at Alern. "And just like I told you countless times, no one is forcing you to stay here. You do so because you keep trying to take this from me and I just so happen to always have enough money to keep you satisfied! But this staff has been carefully passed down for 3 generations! I don't care if you claim it's the solution you need to ease the beast but _keeping_ it is out of the question!"

"Stubborn fool! That staff is the key and you're just too set in 'tradition' to give it to me to save your village!" Alern exclaimed.

Gwent sighed and shook his head. "Please, stop yelling okay. Look, how about we go with Alern and do all we can to calm down this thing that keeps everything else in line? Korik and I have dealt with a lot of crazy stuff in the past so it shouldn't be anything we can't handle," he pointed to the other two members, "not to mention I have my own spellcaster and a Lizardman with his own magic weapon. All of us, plus this Alern guy, should be more than enough."

Alern glared at the demon in disguise. "Thanks but no thanks. I've been doing this for a month and I can handle it myself as I always did. As I said, I'm capable, I just don't have the power for a permanent solution."

Korik rose an eyebrow. "I don't think you're hearing Boss right. _We_ will be extra power. I'm sure either Boss or I have something that can calm this creature of yours. Then once we get back and ring the good news, we can talk about proper business, Chief."

Miowa laughed a jovial laugh, happy that these people were, in fact, going to help him. To be fair, he wasn't exactly sure if this party of unusual people would react to assisting in this dilemma. He didn't offer a reward or money of the sort and he didn't know if they would ask for a reward if they manage to finish the deed. But that is a bridge he will arrive in the future. He can, however, give Gwent the thing he asked for, such as general information on the Re-Estize Kingdom and how it is different from where he the shorter human, Korik he believed, came from.

"Thank you, all! I hope you have the best of luck then. Alern knows the location and I trust you support him as much as possible. And once you get back, Mr. Gwent, I'll let you know whatever you ask for in regards to our kingdom."

Gwent grinned. "Don't gotta call me 'mister', dude. Just Gwent is good enough."

Miowa blinked in confusion. What was..a 'dude?' Well, whatever it meant, he was glad and that was it. Maybe they can finally calm the beast who has been driving the other lesser ones towards the village. That and he can finally have Alern stop trying to take his staff. Alern sighed as he found that he was forced to take this rag-tag group with him. Seeing as he no longer had a choice in the matter, he looked to Miowa.

"Fine! Whatever. I'll bring them along with me, old man. But before they head out, they should at least know what we're dealing with."

Miowa nodded. "Quite," he cleared his throat, "the leader of the forests around these parts is known as Yasha Ape. It stands at a height of 2 grown men and is very physically able. In my youthful years, I have seen his power first hand a few times as he battled other beasts or some cocky workers, swords-for-hire, who thought they were capable of killing Yasha for his fur or fangs. And he did away with them effortlessly."

Darian and Zaryusu gulped at the description of this Yasha Ape. Never in their lives had they had to fight something that sounded so vicious. Well, at least Zaryusu had fighting experience under his belt and he did, in his opinion, fair pretty well against three Ogre's at once. But Darian has never fought anything or anyone before unless you count scaring off 2 stray wolves and sneaking past any larger animals. In terms of combat, he was a complete novice and this realization had him shaking a bit.

Alern smirked at the sight of Zaryusu and Darian. Of course, from the way that Miowa was describing the Yasha Ape, it'd strike fear into anyone who thought of themselves ill-equipped to deal with something like that. But when he looked at Gwent and Korik, they didn't seem all that phased. In fact, Korik was grinning, as if he was about to play his favorite game while Gwent looked like he was gonna take a stroll through the park. Nothing in their body language betrayed anything.

' _Do they really believe that they can face the Yasha Ape and not feel threatened? They must be overconfident fools then. We'll see their worth once they actually get a look at that…monster for themselves.'_

Korik adjusted his gloves by grabbing and yanking the rim of it on his right hand. "So, how do we permanently calm him down?"

Miowa stroked his beard. "Well, the only way I can think of is to assert yourselves by besting it in combat. Yasha Ape is the type of creature where it rules those who can't defeat it and it might show obedience to the lot of you if you make him heel. Honestly, since I have no idea why it is acting this way in the first place, that the best I can think of. But with Alern's experience in dealing with him, I'm sure it can be accomplished. I wish you luck."

"No problem, Old-Man Miowa! We'll get it done!" Gwent declared with a hand against this chest. "Besides, it's the least we can do for you being willing to help out some strangers."

Alern, tired of the exposition, decided that it was time for them to get a move on. "Let's just get going and be sure to try and not slow me down." He then walked past them, though Zaryusu sent a glare to his back and lightly growled.

"I don't trust that man," he said.

Miowa chuckled. "Trust me, he isn't my favorite sort either. But he's all we have to stops Yasha Ape from both advancing here himself and makes sure to chase the other beasts from the direction of the village. Once again, I pray for your success. I hope you lot are the push we need."

Darian took a breath and nodded. "We'll do our best, sir! Thank you!" He figured that this might've been a great time to show his new teacher what he was capable of. If he could impress Mister Gwent then there was no one he couldn't accept the young magic caster entirely, at least Darian thought so as they turned and followed Alern out the tarp entrance.

 _Later_

The lot of them were walking through the forest after taking a path to the left road from the end of the village from the Chief's house. It was the easiest and technically the most dangerous entrance since it led directly through the thickest reaches even if there was an obvious dirt path. It wasn't just Zaryusu this time who noticed but the others saw the edges of the path had upturned mounds of dirt. No doubt more Druidic traps that had been laid to stop hostile beasts from getting into Kokoto this way.

Alern took the lead once they walked off the path, Alern had fully taken the lead with Gwent right behind him. Aryusu and Darian took up the middle with Korik In the back. Both he and Gwent unspokenly agreed it'd be best for their group if their two strongest fighters were the ones to hold the more critical positions.

Seeing as they were traveling in silence, Darian decided to try and break the tension. "So…um…Mr. Alern? If there are supposed to be other creatures in this forest, why haven't we seen any?"

Alern used his magic to move a fallen log out of his way. A small and simple feat that didn't really take much magic. "It's because the closer we get to Yasha Ape's territory, the less you'll see of other creatures or animals. Not that you _can't_ find any wandering around here but this is usually the norm with this area. The path we're taking is one of few that is a straight shot to the location Yasha Ape lives."

Darian nodded and thought of another question. "And…how does it, erm, he direct other beasts from the village."

"You ask a lot of fo questions," Alern pointed out, "does that even matter?"

Zaryusu narrowed his eyes but controlled his temper. "Without the proper knowledge, how can you expect us to act accordingly in a situation that required it? What if while trying to stop this Yasha Ape, we make a mistake all because _you_ wanted to withhold information from us?"

Alern's eyes narrowed, clearly disliking the manner in which he was spoken too like that. And from a _lower class_ Lizardman on top of it. He was about to retort but Gwent spoke before he could.

"He's right, Alern. Sorry to say since you think otherwise but if we're gonna help then we need to know what works and what doesn't work. And we need to know any capabilities of the Yasha Ape on top of that. Not trying to be rude but it's just common sense." Gwent scratched his hair, sounding a little disinterested in the conversation when he spoke but it was just him playing his new human persona.

Miowa smirked from the words they spoke which had Alern unable to say anything and just left him frowning. "Alern, it is decided that they will go with you. No, if's, and's, or but's about it. So, stop being so difficult and help _them_ help _you_. Hopefully, end this issue once and for all so that we can go back to our normal lives."

Alern looked at the people that he was forced to take with him. Gwent and Korik were both giving him smiles that seemed like they weren't going to cause any harm but that only served to unnerve him. Darian was as nervous as when he first entered the Chief's house while Zaryusu was still giving him a minor glare. No doubt for how he was speaking of Lizardmen earlier but to Alren, he was only speaking the truth. And yet the younger of the two [Druids] had no way of being able to get out of this situation forced on him. He also knew that Miowa wanted him to try and make a better impression, hence why he wanted Alern to be the one to explain and not Miowa himself, who know just as much about the Yasha Ape. Because of this, he just sighed and decided to suck it up.

"Fine. If you lot are _assisting me_ then I better at least tell you some information that will _possibly_ stop you from getting killed once we encounter it. First, the Yasha Ape is easily 3 to 4 times the size of a full adult and very physically powerful. Its hide is tough so don't physical attacks to do much of anything. Second, it has some resistance to magic but that does not mean magic can't hurt it or immobilize it. That is always how I am able to restrain it when I have to calm him down, by making sure to stun it and then some other means afterward."

"Um…when you say it's that big and that powerful," Darian began, "any…estimate?"

"You'll die in a single hit. You _might_ not die if you at least have a reinforcement spell of some kind fo increase your body's natural defense. But for someone like you, even if you were to do that, you'll definitely slowly die from fractured ribs punching into your lungs if it managed to hit you in the chest. And you'll definitely be paralyzed if it strikes you in the back."

Darian's expression was a little hilarious to see after hearing how intimidating the Yasha Ape's brute force was. His eyes were wide and his jaw dropped as low as possible. He staggard from the information. "Oh…oh, no. I don't…think I appreciate that." He found a scaly hand placed on his shoulder and looked at Zaryusu.

"Do not worry, Darian. Remember, you are a magic caster, meaning it would be best if you were at a distance anyway. The three of us will make sure to not let it get close to you, while we buy Alern time to complete whatever magic he has to so he can immobilize this Yasha Ape."

Darian felt some of his nerves relax from hearing the truth his companion spoke of. Yes, that was correct. He wasn't going to be in this monsters face, right? He'll keep a healthy distance and support with his spells. He placed a hand to his chest and breathed.

"T-Thanks, Zaryusu. Yeah, you're right…I'll just help you all from the back. But I'll do my best to help support you guys!" He was determined when he finished his sentence and Zaryusu smiled at him and patted his back.

"That's good to hear, Darian!"

Alern scoffed and walked up to them. "If you lot are done giving yourselves pop talks, can we depart now? I want to get this properly sorted out, hopefully, for the last time." He didn't wait for a reply as he walked by the lot of them. Zaryusu was tempted to trip him with his tail but decided against such a thing. As much as he felt he deserved it, he knew his Master wanted to make a good impression in front of Miowa and he wouldn't dare hinder that.

"Alright Old-Man Miowa, we're gonna take care of this Yasha Ape for you," Gwent said, "then I'd like for your help after."

"Of course. Good luck you all." Miowa said with a small bow before the group left to follow Alern. They all walked through another section of the village that had a road which lead to a barricaded gate. Unlike the front gate, this one had to be opened from the inside. The guards opened it for the group and let them pass through into most dangerous side of the village. This back path had uncontrolled forest on both sides of the road and people who trek through it, with no proper direction, were bound to get lost. The beasts residing inside to be their only other company.

The group had been walking for around 30 minutes with Alern still in the lead. He moved through the greenery with expertise, no doubt having memorized a good majority of the paths that he took to get to the Yasha Ape's location, with Alern taking the lead. Korik got so boared of wallking that he took some random wood be picked up and began to carve something with an [Iron Knife] he discreetly pulled from his inventory. Korik eventually got a bit fed up with all the walking. Looking to Alern, who fingered the effigy on his belt, he spoke up.

"How much longer until we get there? Feels like we've been walking forever."

Alern removed his right hand from the figure then looked at the disguised Goblin. "We're basically upon it. He lives in a massive tree which won't be hard to miss from the direction we're heading."

"I'm sure we have a plan for when we attempt to subdue it, right?" Zaryusu wondered as he looked at Gwent and then to Alern. While he did not like the latter man, he wouldn't let his personal issues about how he felt jeopardized any way to defeat an unknown for said man encountered countless times.

Alern nodded but kept his eyes on the path ahead of them. "Of course, I have a plan. With a lot of you here, it should actually go smoother than if it was by myself now that I think about it. See, there is a secret entrance to the home of the Yasha Ape in the tree we're heading too but it's only large enough for one person. Normally, whenever that thing went on a rampage, I would sneak in that way, use my magic to fill the area with a powder to make it docile and lead it back inside after it attempts to go too far and chases away animals and other creatures towards the village as much as I am able.

However, the lot of you can fight it head-on, something I could never do. If you're lucky enough to not die and substantially weaken it, then I can actually impose my will on the creature through physical contact."

Darian felt pretty uncomfortable hearing this piece of information while Gwent rose an eyebrow in a questioning manner.

"Impose your will? What's that mean?" Gwent asked while Alern smirked to himself.

"I devised a method after all this time to gain control of the Yasha Ape. Since it doesn't want to control itself anymore and do its job then I can give it a command that will have it obey me, even if I'm not in the general area. That command will be for it to protect the village from the various beasts and then I'll be able to leave this damned place, finally."

"How are you going to do that?" Darian asked to which, Alern pointed to the ape effigy on his waste.

"Through this. A product of constant honing of my Druidic magic and a few fur samples were taken from the ape. It is a powerful form of magic that took a month to complete but once I use this in the proper vicinity of the ape, it will be under my control." Darian's eyes lit up, now understanding fully what Alern was attempting to do, while Zaryusu's eyes shone with its own amount of interest.

He didn't know that a [Priest] was capable of such magic. He was sure his brother had no idea either, else he would've tried to use the forests surrounding beasts to try and make familiars or companions.

"Impressive, I admit," Zaryusu said while Alern didn't pay him much heed as he focused on walking.

"I know it is," Alern stated making the Lizardman's left eye twitch a bit in irritation.

Korik grinned and gently slapped the back of Alern, making him yelp and stumble forward, not at all prepared "I gotta say, you're a man who knows your stuff! I respect all the effort you put into doing something like that! You must be serious about wanting that ape!"

Alern growled in his throat and rubbed the sore spot on his back. Thankfully, Korik didn't hit him so hard that it'd leave a bruise or worse but Alern wasn't prepared for the amount of strength behind the hit. Hell, he wasn't prepared for it at all. He stood up and cracked his back.

"Why… _thank you_ ," he growled which Korik just grinned like an idiot at and nodded.

Gwent looked down at him and tilted his head in a deadpan. "Dude…"

Kroik, after bringing one of his hands from his pocket, rose his arms to shrug. "What? I can't compliment the guy, Boss?"

Alern kept his irritation to himself and kept his pace until they were standing in front of the tree. Gwent and his group were in awe as the size of this tree was no doubt at least 3 times the size and the width of all the other ones around it. At its base was a rounded entrance and yet in front of even that was a circular dirt and rock ring of sorts. The ring actually sunk down from the grassy terrain they stood on and had a diameter of 30 meters.

"Jeez, what is this? A fighting pit?" Gwent asked aloud as Alern walked a bit away from the group.

"In fact, yes. This is where the Yasha Ape battles those that wish to challenge it and it doesn't show mercy, no matter who or what it is. Also, from what I've seen, it would take a team of Silver or Gold-ranked adventurers to fight it and possibly win yet I'm only speculating."

Darian gulped a bit and stepped back. "W-Wait, really? And you want ALL of us to fight…something like _that?_ "

Zaryusu tilted his head. "I'm unfamiliar with the strength levels of adventurers even through rank. But it's safe to say this monster is powerful, right?"

Darian nodded rapidly. "Let me say it like this! We can't _actually_ win against something that'll take a whole TEAM of Gold-ranked adventurers to beat! Mr. Alern, all we could _possibly_ do is slow it down!"

Alern chuckled and nodded. "I'm expecting that, yes. All you have to do is weaken it however while I support from the back so that I can use my effigy."

Gwent looked at Darian and smiled. "Hey, relaxed, buddy! With Korik and I support you, you won't have to worry about a thing. You just do what you can and it'll all work out," he looked at Alern, "alright, let's do it."

"Just step into the pit. Everything else will happen after that," Alern said.

Zaryusu and Gwent patted Darian on the shoulders to help get him to calm down. The young sorcerer took a breath before walking down with them into the pit. Alern moved around the rim of the grass making his way to the tree but out of reach of the eventual battle, to take his own position. He smirked, believing that this plan could actually work. Hopefully, this lot wasn't all talk and could at least fight this beat to a standstill somewhat.

Down in the pit, Gwent, Korik, Zaryusu, and Darian were all in a line in the center of the area. Gwent had a hand on his [Ultra Greatsword]. Korik and cracked his knuckles and scuffed the bottom of his boots against the ground. Zaryusu had [Frost Pain] out and ready. Darian, after taking another calming breath, was prepared to cast magic with his hands out at the ready. They stood in place for 15 seconds waiting for something to happen yet nothing did.

Darian bit his bottom lip. "W-What's up? Shouldn't this ape be, I don't know…challenging us?"

Zaryusu, not losing slack in his position kept his eyes on the tree entrance. "It's only been a few seconds. Maybe it's preparing."

Right after he said so, a massive roar erupted from the entrance of the tree. There was so much force behind it that a turbulent wind poured from there, knocking Darian to his butt and Zaryusu was forced to a knee. Korik and Gwent held up a single arm in front of their faces, not perturbed by the force but didn't want their eyes to get irritated from the wind and dust being thrown around. The roar had continued for a little longer than the time they were standing in a line until it thankfully died down.

Dust was still spilling around the pit as the Goblin-in-disguise picked his now human ear with a pinky. Sure, he may have looked pretty human with this ring on and this new world kicked the disguise to another level, but there were just some things that still bled through from his original body. That being his amazing hearing. Gwent grumbled as he did the same with his own ears.

"Holy shit," Gwent said before he began grinning a little," that thing sure got some awesome lungs!"

Korik chuckled, the ringing finally gone. "If that wasn't to issue a challenge, I don't know what else would be!" He licked his upper lip a tad and gave a big grin. "How strong do you think he is, Boss!? Should we try this time, unlike with the Ogres!?"

Gwent thought about it for a bit. "Nah. Reign in your fighting spirit. It's best to test these things first and not just jump into full power."

He then looked at the other two members of the group. Darian was still shaken from the roar while Zaryusu's hand trembled a bit while gripping his weapon. The demon-in-disguise just smiled and walked behind them before he kneeled and place hands on their shoulders.

"Hey, whatever happens, Korik and I will be here to help and I know that as my, erm…. _students_ , you two will have ours. Besides, I didn't get to see what the two of you were made of when we first met. I hope to see more of your abilities. That way, I'll know where you guys stand and can help you out properly." Korik chuckled to himself at Gwent addressing the two as his students with a bit of reluctance in his voice.

' _Aw, he'll get used to it,'_ Korik thought with a big smile.

Darian stopped shaking and looked to his savior and teacher with admiration. That's right. He and Korik fought 3 Ogre's easily and won. So…even if he and Zaryusu don't help all that much in this fight, they can still prove their worth by showing their abilities. Gwent wasn't asking them for much except to fight and fight hard. He nodded, along with Zaryusu.

"O…Okay, Mister Gwent. I'll…I mean…I may not be a s-super powerful magic caster but…I'll do my best."

"I agree, Master Gwent," Zaryusu began as he and Darian stood up with Gwent's help, "I'll put mine all into this fight. I'm not afraid!"

"Good!" Gwent patted them on the back as thudding footsteps came from the tree, getting louder and louder. Along with the footsteps was growling that belonged to a very large creature. Definitely, something to not take easily. Gwent took a few steps to the front and got eager to see this creature. He never heard of Yasha Apes in YGGDRASIL. He couldn't wait to see what it could do, but even more so, if he was going to be a teacher, he had to take even more note of the other two behind him. At least they weren't worried-looking anymore.

A figure emerged from the shadows. A very, VERY large figure, with red glowing eyes. He walked towards them on his hind legs but it looked capable of using his massive arms to assist its walking with those as well. And what did it look like exactly? The sight of the Yasha Ape was both simple….and scary. Standing a little over 8ft tall (250cm), with a _very_ hulking build. It was a beast that was similar looking to a gorilla but the muscles on its body were rippling with pure power. Its skin was green, with pointed ears, a fanged mouth that was capable of ripping flesh to ribbons, and elongated hair on his head.

Yasha growled and beat his chest a few times, the impacts of fists on pecks sounding like drums before he outstretched his arms to the side and planted his dextrous feet into the earth. He hooked his claws fingers and flexed them a few times, scrutinizing his gaze over the group.

Zaryusu took a breath, looking over every aspect of this amazing creature. "By the ancestors…never once have I looked upon such a beast."

Darian fought to pick up his jaw but succeeded eventually. "You're telling me…that thing is the Yasha Ape!?"

"Be on your guards!" Korik exclaimed, wanting them to keep their heads on straight. He knew that his Boss wanted to make this a sort of test for them, to see their full capabilities in this battle. No, he knew that Gwent had no intention of throwing them at the ape to fend for themselves but to only see the extent of their abilities.

However, they did not get much chance to fully prepare as Yasha ape, after pushing off of his powerful legs, jumped right at them in a single stride.

"Here he comes!" Gwent exclaimed, hand back on the hilt of his sword. Yasha could sense that among the four of them, Gwent and Korik were the stronger fighters and the other two were nowhere near their level. So, as to get rid of the bigger threats, he went for Gwent in front but the armor-clad man just spun so his sword, still on his back, faced Yasha to block a strong punch from him.

The resounding clang was a loud one fro hardened flesh meeting a massive steel sword. Gwent didn't budge an inch from the blow but a tiny amount of shock did travel through his back. He _felt_ the hit, even after his blade, armor, and body took no damage of the sort. Lower level gear or not, that didn't mean he chose to neglect to refine them with [Refined Adamantite] which was a good few levels higher than normal, rough, [Adamantite]. Using [Refined] ore is actually a little secret among [Blacksmiths] and [Armor Smiths] that was both a common secret and an uncommon one.

See, those who had either class, after investing enough in either to get at least Lv.5, gained the [Skill], [Whetstone]. This skill was always a shared secret among those who crafted weapons and gear to trick Players who had neither classes or had the classes but not as the appropriate levels, to buy gear at a higher price, even if it was made fro the same material. When one [Iron Broadsword] did 15 damage with rough [Iron] and a replica did 25 damage with [Refined Iron] that was created by a Lv.5 or higher [Blacksmith], then of course the ignorant buyer would grab the weapon he was just using all of 5 seconds ago for extra 10 damage output. And this is all without any enchantments or anything.

Not to mention, the better the material, the stronger the refined versions of said material would be. You go from 10 damage jumps to 25 and then to 50. Then to 100 or even 1000.

No one ever said that this was a secret among the smithies but it was an unspoken one, for sure. A rule to not tell others that people with similar skills pick up and agree to always follow. If everyone knew of this little secret then many more people would try to invest in either [Blacksmith] or [Armor Smith] to make their own [Refined Ore]. There would be next to no buyers of refined weapons due to anyone being capable of getting said weapons themselves and all of the old weapons not charged with [Data Crystals] or rough ore would rarely be used. Then the price on refined gear would plummet to the same price as original weaponry.

Hell, secrets were power in that game and Gwent had never been happier to be part smith. Granted, he _was_ interested in hearing a certain rumor about how to become a full-on [Ancient Dragon] race but he didn't care for it much. Something about…giving up all your items, money, and gear? Psssh, fuck _dat'_. Sex demon any day.

Back to the battle, Yasha Ape was impressed that this human blocked his blow and that his large weapon did not snap. Either man or weapon would've felt to this punch in the past but this is new. He reared back and jumped up, 15ft, intending on bringing down a hammer blow on Gwent but he leaped backward, spinning sideways in the air one times and landing on his feet, just as the Yasha Ape brought his hands down into the rock and dirt.

Darian, who had made sure to keep his distance and very much so, put a hand out as a blue magic circle appeared. "I can help! **[Magic Arrow]**!"

An arrow, the size of a basic iron arrow but made of blue mana, fired from the magic array. The attack struck Yasha in his chest and got stuck in his thick fur but it didn't really seem to do anything. The ape grunted before grabbing the magic in a large hand. With a small tug, he pulled it from his fur and crushed it in his hand, making it dissolve into nothing. Darian gasped at the sight of his magic has no effect.

"That didn't even faze it!?" He exclaimed before the ape turned his attention towards him. Darian gasped and back-peddled some, not wanting the monstrous animal to have sights on him. Especially while it was growling in irritation, showing its teeth.

"Hey, over here!" Zaryusu shouted as he charged at Yasha from the other side, the intent of getting its attention off his friend. Yasha decided to face this new attacker and dodged the swipe that Zaryusu gave with [Frost Pain]. He turned his body left, then right, then jumped over the low slash the Lizardman attempted to give with his weapon. While still in the air, like an acrobat, he executed a front nimble somersault while also extending his right leg for an ax kick.

Zaryusu's honed battle instincts are what saved him from the swift attack as he dove out the way, rock upturning from the impact of the foot making contact. He rolled once while also turning, placing his feet against the ground to skid to a halt. He shook his head a little at how he barely avoided that blow but was definitely glad for his prior fighting experience assisting him.

"It's very nimble," he said to the others.

Gwent nodded at him, still having not drawn his sword yet. "Of course it is. Ape's are known to be but I'm surprised one as well-built as this one can move the same. It's pretty cool, actually."

"Admire later, Boss," Korik said while watching the Yasha Ape stand up and getting back into position. He was growling even more now, beating his chest harder and roaring his challenge. Gwent took his chance to give some quick orders to his companions.

"Alright, game plan! Darian, use spells to try and disable him from a distance and if you can, use any enhancement spells to buff Zaryusu in any way you can. He'll need those the most since he has no proper armor and that things punch and break normal steel. But don't burn your mana out too fast."

"My what!? I-I mean, okay, Mister Gwent!" Darian exclaimed, getting ready to cast more magic, even though he had no idea what this 'mana' stuff was that his teacher just spoke of.

"Zaryusu, once Darian gives you proper enhancements to defense or attack, you use your melee prowess to go in and dance around him. Strike at whatever spots you can to tire him out, even if it's not effective. And that special ice attack your weapon can do? How many times can it be cast?" Gwent ordered first and questioned after.

"I can cast [Icy Burst] 3 times a day and I already used it earlier against those Ogre's, so I have 2 more," Zaryusu explained.

Gwent nodded with a grin. "That's cool! I think we'll only need to use it once but be prepared to use it again. As for Korik and I, when you two do your parts, we'll go in to take and deal the stronger blows."

Korik rose a finger. "And we'll do our best to not kill the thing."

"Good boy," Gwent said while Korik flipped the finger at him. Laughing it off, they got ready while the Yasha pe charged at Zaryusu yet Korik was the one to get in his way this time. The gray beast roared at somersaulted multiple times in the air. Carried by its momentum, it went out for another hammer blow but Korik raised his hands with caught the fists as they came down. The rock under his feet, shattered and dust blew away from them due to the amount of air pressure in the collision.

Korik gave a grin with his eyes narrowed a bit, his arms not even budging from the attack. The Yasha Ape was surprised that its hammer blow didn't go through at all and wondered how the shortest of the group was able to do something like that.

"Heeey, calm down big guy~ You'll play with him soon enough. Just step back for a bit, will ya'?" Korik asked before he lightly flicked his wrists outward. That action forced the ape's arms to spread out wide from the strength in his wrists alone before he felt a strong palm to his gut, courtesy of Korik who chose to just lightly push him. Yasha roared and was sent flying back 10 meters but he backflipped and landed on his own feet, growling from the throbbing in his gut.

Darian breathed as he had his new yellow magic circle aimed at Zaryusu. "Okay, Zaryusu! I'm ready!"

The Lizardman nodded. "Okay! Let's' start!"

"First. I'll enhance your speed! **[Quick March]**!" A yellow down coated Zarysu's body and he felt his body become…lighter. More responsive. Even his senses seemed to have been taking in everything at a slower pace, evident by the birds flying ahead which did not appear to be flying as fast as they should've been. "Now, [ **Reinforce Armor]**!" Another yellow aura surged through Zaryusu, who gasped as he felt his muscles tighten and his scales felt like natural steel instead of natural iron.

Gripping [Frost Pain], he smirked and dashed forward. Now, Zaryusu was someone who didn't have any [Martial Arts] abilities but that never stopped him from fighting at his best whenever he was forced to. And sometimes, his best was enough to battle against other Lizardmen who _were_ capable of such techniques. This back before he even had the ownership of [Frost Pain]. So, once he kicked up a trail of dust from his rush and slashed at the ape's hand, leaving a bleeding cut before Yasha could react to it, that prowess showed.

Due to not moving around in shallow water or a marsh, his webbed feet aren't _as_ dextrous as they could be but he had no issues running on solid ground. Yasha roared and swung back his left fist to hit Zaryusu but he slid under the arm and slashed at the leg. Yet, like the magic arrow, the damage wasn't as severe and he was forced to block a kick from the same leg with his weapon. The defense spell stopped a decent amount of the force and he was forced to jump away.

Korik and Gwent chose that time to help them out a bit more and moved in. Finally drawing his sword, Gwent held the monstrosity of a blade high before bringing it down and gently as possible for a swing on the ground in front of Yasha Ape. This split a good chunk of the rock in half and kicked up a few slabs. The shock from the attack sent the hulking beast tumbling back but he just flipped to his hands and sprung up.

Korik took some of the upturned rocks and threw them at Yasha Ape, to try and attack with objects instead of his fists. He wasn't sure exactly how much power it would take to hurt but not maim or kill this thing with his own body. So…throwing rocks were the next best thing at this moment.

"Alright, Commander Korik!" Darian yelled out, preparing another spell just in case. To be honest, he was breathing a little heavy from using 2nd Tier spells back to back but he still had to pull his weight in this fight.

Yasha Ape threw fists and feet as the large slabs flew at him, yet he destroyed each one. Every time he did, rock-dust would appear and obscure his vision a bit but his smell was even better than his eyesight.

So, he caught wind of Zaryusu having charged, jumped, and then trying to slice as his face but he caught the blade between his hands, making the Lizardman gasp.

"Uh-oh!" He exclaimed before he was thrown to the ground in front of Yasha. While the defense and speed spells were still working, the only reason that happened was that there was no way to control the speed at which someone fell without making themselves heavier or some other method. He threw up [Frost Pain] over his himself with the flat side when Yasha Ape attempted to stomp on him. He clenched his fangs as this happened over and over and over, the ape doing his hardest to crush one of his opponents….but then he cringed. He gave a low pained growl and he stood back with some frost covering his foot.

Gwent and Korik's eyes widened as they took notice to that. Frost? But Zaryusu wasn't attacking. A passive of some sort? While they thought this, Darian wanted to try and get the Yashaa Ape away from Zaryusu. So, mustering what little amount of power he had, he made a blue magic circle. A small spiral of magic was forming in the center before it grew in size. He was straining as he was using the rest of his power in this attack but it was going to be worth it to help his friend.

" **[Magic Arrow]!"** Unlike the first attempt, a set of 4 magical arrows were fired from the magic array. Right after that, Darian fell to the ground, too exhausted to move. Unlike before, where they met resistance against the thick fur of the Yasha Ape, they actually aimed for the areas that Zaryusu had already struck with his weapon, digging into the flesh easier. The beast roared loudly from the pain and stumbled around, though it was tripping a little due to its slightly frostbitten foot.

Seeing that this thing was off-kilter, Gwent knew this was the time to capitalize. "Zaryusu, that ice attack!"

Nodding, Zaryusu stood and held out [Frost Pain] as it glowed with a chilled, white power. **"[Icy Burst]!"** With a hard swing, a large blast of ice and snow was sent hurling at Yasha Ape, who couldn't help but get caught in it. He tried to withstand the wind, snow, and the like but he couldn't keep himself grounded for too long. Some parts of his body became trapped in light layers of ice while he was carried up into the air.

Zaryusu breathed in exertion but smiled as he saw the form get freed from the attack, to which it fell to the ground, landing on its back. Yasha groaned as he felt very weakened and injured. "Yes! I…I think that might've done it!"

Korik wiped his hands together. "Well, more like you and Darian did it. Boss and I just supported." Gwent went go help up Darian while the shorter man spoke.

Zaryusu gave a light glare. "Which is still more than I can say for Alern though. He didn't do anything even though he said he would."

Gwent, with Darian's arm, slung over his shoulder agreed with a nod. "Now that you mention it…he did say he' help us weaken the thing but there were no plants or nature magic being thrown around, was there." He looked at the spot on the ledge where Alern was but found him missing. "Not there? Did he ditch us?"

Before anyone could say anything else, vine erupted from the ground, covering the limbs of the still-conscious monster. Yasha Ape growled in confusion before he was brought to his knees and forced to kneel while his arms were parallel to the ground. He tried to break free of the bindings but even with his brute strength, Yasha couldn't do anything to undo them. Coming out of the ground beside him was a massive set of vines that was shaped as a cacoon. It opened up to reveal Alern, with that knowing smirk on his face.

"Great job, everyone. You did your jobs perfectly," he congratulated while Korik huffed.

"Yeah, no thanks to you. What the HELL were you doing anyway? Jerking off?" Alern blushed and growled at him for saying that, while Gwent laughed. Zaryusu and Darian blushed at their Commander's words.

"How _dare_ you!? As if I'd _ever_ …you know what? No. I won't rise to that," he said after taking a breath and putting his smile back on, "but I'll take it from here."

Darian, who got some of his breath back said, "M-Mr. Alern? You're going to, um…give him the command to help everyone now, right?"

"Oh, he'll get his command," Alern said with a smile, "but I thought of an even better one. I figure it would be easier to teach that old man a lesson by showing him that this is more than he thought you lot could handle."

Zaryusu narrowed his eyes, not liking the sound of that. "And what does that mean?" He got his weapon ready just in case.

Alern smirked and aimed his staff at the Lizardman. **"[Ice Javelin]!"**

An icy magic circle appeared before a 3ft long and width spear of ice blasted at the Lizardman, who was able to react fast enough to it. He swung his weapon at it, just as the effects of Darian's buffs were wearing off and he destroyed it, breaking it into various ice shards. But the attack surprised him, Darian, while Gwent's eyebrows slowly rose up.

The Lizardman no longer buffed growled at him. "I KNEW I didn't like you for a reason!"

Darian shook a bit in Gwent's grasp. "A-A….A _3_ _rd_ _Tier Spell_!? Wait, Mr. Alern, what are you doing!? You could've killed him!"

Korik snorted to the naïve mage. "That's the point, kid. Alern is double-crossing us. No doubt he'd planned this since we got here. Let me guess, have us weaken the Yasha Ape so you can properly restrain him then use you effigy to put him under your selfish whim?"

Alern wasn't even concerned. Not like he tried to hide his intentions just now. "Oh, entirely. You don't know this but the Yasha Ape has a special trick it uses to actually _command_ all of the creatures that are weaker than it under his control. It's how he directs those who get too close away from the direction of the village. Yet it wouldn't do that in the face of a personal challenge hence you four. I _never_ did anything against this thing for over a month. I was using a spell, {Command Beast], to send those attacks."

Gwent's eyes wandered from side to side as Alern explained himself, having seen the backstab, bad-guy trope in movies and video games WAY too often. So, he wasn't all that phased by this.

"And….you did this….whyyyy?"

Alern scoffed. "Something so SIMPLE that I'm upset I had to go through all these lengths to get it. That damn STAFF! It's a relic that is capable of _4_ _th_ _Tier magic!_ Potentially, even 5th!"

Darian's eyes shot up. "N-No way! That thing can use such powerful magic!? But…how!? Magic is like is supposed to be outside the realms of humanity and other races!"

' _These guys think simple 4_ _th_ _and 5_ _th_ _Tier magic is some kind of godly force? This world is getting more interesting the more I learn about it!"_ Gwent thought with a smile.

' _Holy hell…how weak IS this world in terms of power? I could understand if they said 7_ _th_ _or 8_ _th_ _was hard to acquire but 4_ _th_ _and 5_ _th_ _? Hell, we've got tons of magic items that can cast magic on that level and then some!'_ Korik thought, realizing just how underpowered the people and potentially, even the creatures of this world were. What, were they ALL capped at around Lv.30 or something? Lv.40 to be generous? Seems it wasn't just warrior-like adventurers after all. Even the magic and low-grade.

"So, the money the old man gave me actually went towards the materials to help me make this. So, yes, I kinda lied about this too but my magic was still influential. Hell, at the most, all I did was snag some fallen fur from Yasha Ape that was left behind as the main ingredient." He brought up his effigy and place it against the Yasha Ape's chest, another vine restraining his neck so he couldn't bite Alern's face off. "And now, to get what I've worked so hard for!" Green magic coated the effigy, which began to glow.

"NO! Stop him, Mister Gwent!"

"Master Gwent!"

Gwent passed Darian to Zaryusu and grabbed his sword but Korik held out a hand to stop him.

"Korik, what the hell, man!?" Gwent asked but Korik turned and gave a naughty grin, which made Gwent a bit uncomfortable.

"Uh…d-dude? What…?"

Alern continued the process for a minute but when the light died down…his eyes were wide. The effigy was supposed to meld with the Yasha Ape and yet he was still holding it and said ape was still struggling in his binds.

"W-What the!? Why didn't it work!? I did everything perfectly when creating this! It's modeled exactly like the ape, it's got its hair, it's got the proper mind-control spell placed on it, so…"

Korik chuckled a bit and walked forward. "Well, that might've worked…if you actually _had_ the thing." From his pocket, he pulled out a similar effigy. The _real_ wooden effigy.

Alern gasped and brought the one he was holding to his face. He turned it on all sides to get a look at it until he found a small message on the back of it.

-GET FUCKED:

LOVE KORIK-

With an angry blush, he threw it to the ground in front of them, letting everyone see the message. Korik laughed, and Zaryusu threw a hand over his mouth to calm himself down while Darian let a laughing caught escape his mouth. Though Gwent blinked in confusion as he looked at the words, not knowing what was written.

"WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS!? HOW DID YOU… _WHEN_ DID YOU!?"

Korik grinned. "Fuck did ya' think I was carvin' when we were making' our way here? A little incentive just in case some bullshit like this happened, and I gotta say, I sure know my way around the arts, huh? I had the replica done in 15 minutes. 10 were spent thinking of what insult to put on the back. The last 5 was actually putting it on."

Alern gripped his staff so tightly, his knuckles turned white. "But when did you swap them!?"

Korik made a slapping gesture and Alern balked. When he slapped his _back!?_ "N-No way! The time intervals between the slap and you swapping them-"

Korik wiggled his fingers. "I don't know about you, but I've got the fingers of a thief. It wasn't hard for me to move my arms at such a speed that or any anyone else wouldn't have noticed." He then crushed the effigy completely in his hands. Alern stomped on the ground, completely losing his composure.

Gwent's eyes narrowed as he never even picked up on ANY of that happening. _'What the fuck? Wait…so Korik was trolling this guy the entire time!?'_

"You FUCKING….little… _GOBLIN!_ I'll put you down as if you WERE one! Then I'll kill the rest of you and then this disgusting ape! With NO guardian then ALL creatures around here will attack that village at one point or another!"

Korik grinned when Alern insulted him. Gwent knew exactly what his companion was gonna do to rise up to that and he couldn't even say he didn't agree with it. So, pulling off his [Untrue Dark Ring], his form changed back to normal, to that of a Goblin. Alern's eyes almost jumped out of his sockets at the sight of the man changing species in front of him.

"WHAT!? N-NO! You ARE a Goblin!? A monster!?"

Korik cracked his knuckles and stepped forward, Alern, forgetting about casting magic and stepping back until he fell on his ass. "I'm not just _some_ Goblin. I'm the [Goblin King]…and you'll face the harshest of punishments one can face when defying royalty. Besides…I'm about to off a REAL monster right now, so you could say I'm a saint."

Alern screamed and threw various spells at the King of Goblins but each one was just either batted aside or walked right through until he was in front of the man. With a swipe, he blew away the upper portion of Alern's staff while preparing a fist with his other hand. His eyes seeming to glow as Alern was at his mercy, and sobbing like a child who couldn't find his mother.

"So…you little pissant. Like I said before…..get fucked."

His fist flew down.

* * *

Korik Ex Machina. That's all I gotta say.

Rest in Pieces, bitches! Until next chapter!


	4. Exposure and Intel

I'm glad that chapter 3 got so much positive reception. Now I think it's time to bring about the next installment. I mean, God, all three of my fav Overlord fanfic writers (now it's three) keep updating their stories so I must catch up!

Q & A:

 **Zandino-Nova-Ari:** I sent you a PM but you never got back to me so I'm going to just explain, again, what I said. Again, in the last chapter, STILL no one, besides 'Mad-Dan90' I think, caught that 'Overlord: The Exiled' reference yet. I'm hoping the author of that story eventually reads this one and he notices it too but still, good on you for seeing it. Also, since you commented on all 3 chapters in a row, your response might be a bit long.

For chapter 1: there are PLENTY of instances of countries making games that are only available in their countries. We do it all the time here on Earth. And you gotta remember that Gwent was playing YGGDRASIL the first two years it came out in Japan so wouldn't it make sense that they just didn't have the ports to other countries yet, wanting to milk it for themselves? Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate was the exact same for instance. Japan had Double Xross on 3DS for a while and kept it to themselves until we got the Switch to play GU on. And sometimes, some games just don't leave their country of origin OR they don't make it to certain countries for various issues. And take games like One Piece or J Star. Ported to the US but all audio is Japanese. I'm sure if Gwent waited another year or so, he'd be playing the American version of YGGDRASIL which would've dropped with the [Valkerie's Downfall] expansion along with it.

For chapter 2: You don't need to tell me you didn't read the smut, okay? If you don't read it just skip it and leave it there. I made it an option to read or skip. Just telling me you didn't read a massive chunk of my stuff doesn't really make me feel good, even if it's an optional read and this goes to everyone else reading this response. If you skip it then SKIP IT! As I said, I gave the option! But don't TELL ME you skipped it, alright? No author likes being told that a good amount of their work was just passed, even if they know it might be. Just let us assume you got whatever you wanted out of the recent chapter. And don't say that work went to waste either. People DO read that stuff so all of it was worth it to SOMEONE.

LOL, yeah. It's been established that when a 'Player' becomes their avatar, their personality will change based on their avatar's race, karmic rating, and flavor text. Gwent, even though he made Inariz a Demon, made him a more general character, with good karma. Not some evil jerk who rapes and slaughters but he just wanted to make a character that was basically himself….but as a demon. You can say that, besides his race changing some things about his nature, the core of his being hasn't changed at all. And yes, he only lasted two rounds, lol. He's no stranger to sex but he sure is when it comes to sex as an Incubus. Way more intense than he's used too…on top of the fact that two of his fantasies were fulfilled at once. So, pair those off and he'll need to learn to get his lust energy under control.

Yes, the [Lore Items], once I learned about them, INSTANTLY screamed potential OP or RIDICULOUSLY useful items that can NOT be underestimated. And they shouldn't be left to the way-side either. These items are things that you legit can't even find in YGGDRASIL. Fuck, you can make a watch as a [Lore Item] and then next thing you know, you have a working watch. And the flavor text is the butter to the item's bread-appearance. Depending on what you write depicts on how it works and since Gwent was also a heavy RP'er (I based him on myself in that regard) he made a bunch of [Lore Items] that will be useful later down the line.

For chapter 3: Doesn't matter how it's read. Using 'the' or 'not' in that context works both ways and that format of speech has been used countless times. So, I'm keeping it as is. And the only reason Zaryusu could do that was that he was still coming off Darian's buffs. So, thank Darian that Zaryusu wasn't hurt…BUT, he was able to react fast enough to destroy the spell. So, THAT part was on our favorite Lizardman! Well, he's my fav at least.

 **TheRangerBoy:** Then I better make sure you constantly remember that you are following this story. I'll do my best to try and work around updating this as well as updating my other stories too.

 **MadDan90:** JESUS DAN! You and your English-101-Essay reviews! Okay, let's see if I can break this thing down! Yes, I always prided myself on character interaction a lot. I do my best, especially with OC's, to make sure all of my characters, for one, stay IN character and that they properly react to things around him. Though, it's tougher to keep the canon characters in-character, basically Zaryusu. However, if you get a good handle on what they act like in whatever medium they are portrayed in, then even the likes of Zaryusu, especially a much younger one that is 10 years younger than canon, can properly react to OCs.

Uh-huh! This is where that amazing RP'ing nature of Gwent comes into play, as well as him being an otaku. He's seen, read, and researched this kind of shit, going to another world and all that. For real, of course. Not that you can really 'prepare' yourself for when it happens but since it's a common trope in anime, it's easy to get an understanding of what you should and shouldn't do, depending on the kind of info you get from the world you landed in. And he knows enough…so does Korik. Korik was made to be LIKE A PERSON! Even though he's an NPC, he's an NPC with a MIND and people skills. So, while they do have gear that adventurers' would be mad-jealous of, they do their best to not showboat anything. If you noticed, not once has Gwent, while in Kokoto Village, made it apparent that he can actually USE his [Ultra Greatsword]. He's never picked it up in their presence. So, I'm sure most people think it's just for intimidating looks.

And yes, them spotting that they were the ONLY dark-skinned people in the village was a serious note they both took in. And now they'll be extra mindful about what's socially normal and what isn't.

Information is key here and the exchange was MORE than even. At least in Gwent's eyes. Doesn't know the currency, can't read the language without his [Specs of Comprehension], and needs more info than what this limited map he has can provide. Not to mention, they learned just how weak the New World is so…maybe training his new students won't be as easy as he initially thought it'd be. Yes…Korik the Troll! KING of TROLLS is what he is and I'm glad for that! It suits him perfectly! I mean, this man is a MASTER on the battlefield. Years of front-line experience in YGGDRASIL, PLUS what's in his flavor text? Oh, he better be able to see Alern's plot 7 miles away. And while that was AMAZING psyche-play…a shame Alern got killed off so fast, haha! It didn't STEW as long as it could've…but it was more than enough!

So, I'm glad this chapter was to your liking. Hopefully, one day, I can score that impossible 9.5 rating!

Now, I think that was it for the new reviews….so I'm going to begin now!

 **Chapter 4: Exposure and Intel**

"HUUWWUUUGHH!"

The sound of Darian releasing the contents of his stomach after watching Alern's gruesome execution at the hands of the now unveiled [Goblin King] was the first sound that reached everyone's ears. Well, technically the third sound with the first being the sound of Alern's face and cranium cracking horrifically like a nut and the sound of a decent-sized crater right where said head was. Zaryusu helped him by patting his back as Darian at least had the courtesy to let it all go in another crater in the ground caused by the fight that was near him.

Korik gave Darian a deadpan while Gwent scratched the back of his head as he looked at him, and then back at the Goblin.

"Jeez, dude. Ya' couldn't have been a little _less_ messy there? We've got a greenhorn with us and everything."

Korik crossed his arms and gave a 'tch'. "Oh, gimme a break, Boss. He saw us butcher a bunch of Ogre's earlier today! Why is this any different than that!?"

Zaryusu looked at them both. "Killing monsters isn't the same as killing a person. It's…more…hmm," he thought of a way to explain this, "it's almost the same as killing an animal... in a way. It's a necessity at times, even if it's still not a pretty thing for people who aren't used to it. So, I'm assuming seeing a person die in such a manner is…new territory to him."

Darian finally stopped heaving and crawled away from the crater, falling to his side. He gave a shaky 'thumbs up' to Zaryusu in thanks. "I…I'm good. T-Thank you, friend."

The Lizardman nodded in understanding with a slight smile. "Of, course. Anything to help."

Gwent tilted his head before raising an eyebrow at Zaryusu. "I'm impressed you're so calm with what Korik just did. I'm gonna guess you've seen killing before."

A small look of pain and discomfort came across his features. Darian didn't see it yet the other two did, even if it was a bit of a brief one. Zaryusu absentmindedly placed a hand on the hilt of [Frost Pain]. "Seen…participated…killing others isn't new to me, even if I said it's a necessity at times, that...doesn't mean I approved of doing it. I…I'll explain about it later."

Gwent held up his hands. "Whoa, dude. You don't have to say anything if it doesn't make you comfortable."

Zaryusu shook his head. "No, that won't be fair, Master. You and the Commander…have a right to know things like this, especially since you graciously agreed to take me on as your apprentice. When we have the time, I don't mind explaining." He looked down at Darian who was breathing before he sat up. "How are you feeling, Darian?"

The magic caster-in-training groaned as he rubbed his stomach. "I feel how anyone would feel after losing their lunch. Ugh…and the after-taste isn't desirable."

"Oh, stop bein' a wimp, kid," Korik said as he turned to look at the corpse and then to the Yasha Ape who was still hurt but no longer bound with Alern's magic. He looked down at the Goblin, not sensing any hostility from him. Even if he did, there was no way he had the will to attack him. Though Zaryusu and Darian did not pick up on that.

"Whoa, Commander! Y-You shouldn't get so close to-"Darian tried to say but was silenced with a simple hand-raise from his superior.

"It's fine, kid. Big guy here knows there's no need to fight anymore. He's weak and even if he wasn't, he sensed how strong I am. It'd be kinda dumb for him to do anything hostile." He rubbed the ape's chest a bit before his palm began to glow green. "Have a little **[Healing]** big guy."

Before everyone's eyes, the green power spread throughout the Yasha Ape's whole body, near-instantly closing any and all wounds, healing all bruises, basically looking like he was never harmed. Darian's eyes were sparkling at the sight while Zaryusu had only seen such restorative magic from the likes of his brother as far as he knew. Korik's energy then turned from green to yellow, like the power Zaryusu was filled with before. "Now let's get your stamina back up. **[Bestow Strength].** " Like his wounds, Yasha Ape's energy levels shot up to full faster than it could blink, making his eyes shoot up from the sensation.

Korik stepped back after using a very tiny portion of his powers to help the ape get back to 100% where he roared and beat on his chest, exclaiming his rejuvenated state to the world. Darian and Zaryusu covered their ears while Gwent was busy examining the false sculpture that Alern threw, which was in his hand. He was still trying to figure out how Korik was able to write in this language when they haven't even been in this world for a total of two days.

"Weird. I'll file this away for later." He put the false sculpture in his [Inventory]. He saw no reason to leave it lying here and they all could use it as a piece of proof to explain Alern's constant screwing with Kokoto Village. He then looked at Alern's broken staff as well. Maybe it wasn't a special Druidic staff that cast 4th Tier magic or anything but like that but a magic staff was a magic staff, right? And broken ones can be fixed. Someone in this world would definitely want something like that, right?

Darian, forgetting his sickness, but doing his best to not look at the corpse, had to wonder if that was magic Korik used. "Commander?! Was that magic as well!?"

Korik chuckled at the guy's one-track mind and shook his head. "I can't cast magic, kid. I'm a [Monk]. I'm all about hand-to-hand combat and any special techniques you see me use come from the energy source that comes from my spiritual power will. My Ki, if you wanna call it that."

Darian's look was of confusion as he mulled over that. "I never heard of something like Ki. [Martial Arts], sure. Who hasn't heard of those? Melee fighters call them 'warrior spells' but Ki?"

Zaryusu though nodded in understanding with a smile on his face. "I think I understand, Commander. You invoke your fighting spirit to perform special abilities. I know of a few [Monks] and have fought alongside fewer! I know they can do some impressive feats like make their bodies as hard as steel!"

' _[Martial Arts]? What are those?'_ Gwent thought and from the look on Korik's face, he was possibly thinking the same. And Gwent was sure Darian wasn't speaking about conventional martial arts either. Was that this world's version of warrior powers? Darian said warrior spells so...warrior...magic? Gwent shook his head. No, that didn't sound right. He could hear the air-quotes in Darian's voice when he said those two words together.

"Yeah, spot-on, Zaryusu," Korik said as the Yasha Ape looked at him. He gave a nod to the Goblin who grinned and nodded back, extending a fist to him. The action confused the beast. "Place your fist against mine. It's a fistbump, meaning we understand each other."

"Really? How?" Darian and Zaryusu both asked but Gwent spoke up.

"It's just a thin people back where we live to do. Nothing says you can connect with a friend better than a fistbump," he said with a grin. Yasha Ape, seeming to get it, and showing that he was most definitely more intelligent than just some beast, extended his fist and placed it against Korik's. The Goblin King grinned while Yasha Ape seemed to repeat the gesture before removing his fist.

"There. Now that makes us comrades in arms. Now you better watch over this place properly and make sure no beasts or monsters get through to Kokoto." Yasha Ape nodded before he looked over and pointed to Alern's corpse before licking his lips. Korik nodded with a shrug. "I don't give a fuck. I just offed the guy not 5 minutes ago."

"How can you be so nonchalant about that, Commander!?" Darian exclaimed, not in anger but in disbelief. Killing someone and then letting their corpse be eaten by a beast? Talk about brutal.

Gwent placed a hand on his shoulder. "Hey, the guy deserved all of what he got and even this part. Don't worry over the stupid, Darian, you'll be crying all day."

"That's…an interesting philosophy, Master," Zaryusu said cupping his chin, "I'm gonna remember that."

A grin split Gwent's face. "That's 'cause I'm smart."

Meanwhile, Yasha Ape turned and grabbed the legs of the corpse before dragging it back into his home in the tree. Gwent held up the broken pieces of Alern's staff and shrugged. "Well, we did what we came here to do. Let's go back to Miowa."

The others agreed with him as they turned and began heading back to the village. However, Darian was the only one with something on his mind, as he gave a glance to Korik's back who had yet to use the [Untrue Dark Ring] to take on the visage of a human.

' _Goblin King? Weird. I feel like I've heard that somewhere. When was there mention of a Goblin King again? Hmm...gah! I can't remember! Oh, well. I'm sure that it'll come back to me at some point.'_

XXXXXXXXXX

"Hmmm…I see. Well…I can't say that I'm all that broken up about hearing this."

Gwent and his companions had returned to Kokoto Village and were sitting in Miowa's house. Korik had been transformed back into a human with his ring and had also cleaned himself of any blood. Alern's broken staff was lying on the table in the middle of the room with Miowa sitting in a chair. The party sitting on two couches. Gwent and Korik on one with Darian and Zaryusu on the second right across from them. They had just finished describing what Alern had been doing and tried to do to them, and why.

Miowa sighed. "I knew that something told me Alern wasn't being honest with me in regards to a few things but…to think _he_ was the one who was putting my village in danger this entire time…and I was the one who kept him here, even though he tried time and again to take my staff from me. Talk about irony."

Darian shook his head a few times, maybe a bit too much. "No, no! That's not right, sir! There's no way you could've known about something like this! He tricked us too, and we didn't know he was a bad guy until after he attacked Zaryusu!"

"And after that, he described to us his true plans of using the monsters in the forest and the Yasha Ape to overrun your village and take your staff by force," Zaryusu explained, "as said before, no one knew until he actually made an attempt to do us harm."

Miowa crossed his arms. "Still, I was much too lenient with him during his stay here and I was basically paying him for nothing this entire time. I wished all that money spent could've gone to you lot instead. I don't wish to leave you with nothing after doing all of this."

Darian shook his head again. "W-We couldn't possibly ask you for a reward. We wanted to help."

Gwent snorted and shook his own head. "Darian, don't get ahead of yourself."

The magic caster blinked in confusion. "M-Mister Gwent?"

"We did say we'd help, and we did. And we didn't even ask for payment outright or anything but if someone is willing to give you something because they wanna do it…then just take the stuff, man. And, I'm sure you know this, but we need money. Because money lets us do things like eat and sleep and inns'," Gwent explained to him, which had Darian silently nod. In his head, Gwent really wanted to get a first-hand glimpse of what currency in this world looked and felt like and he wasn't going to let Darian's naïve response get in the way of that.

"Oh…sorry. I'll…consider that from now on."

Korik looked at the old man. "And while we're on the topic, the real thing Boss and I were after was general information anyway. You can pay us whatever you feel like you want to pay us but it's the answer to those questions that we care more for."

Miowa smiled and nodded. "That's right. I do remember you asking for such things. Simple matters that I can easily take care of. Well, if it's basic knowledge on Re-Estize I'm sure that I can help and as for the money, the trade in our village may have dropped over the past few months but we still make decent enough. I know I can give you each a decent amount to leave herewith. However, I don't feel that money and answers will be enough to satisfy me wishing to reward you for your efforts."

Gwent looked at the shorter man in confusion. "Huh? Like what? I mean, you don't need to get us any items if that's what you're thinking as those might be more expensive. But, hell, if you've givin' those away…"

Zaryusu sweatdropped. "Way to be modest, Master. Seriously."

Miowa laughed and hopped out of his seat. "That's not it at all, my boy! No, the whole village needs to hear about what you've all done! A celebration should be in order!"

Zaryusu rose an eye. "Celebration? I'm not seeing the need for festivities over something like this."

Miowa smirked at him. "Ah, I see. Do you not hold anything of the sort in your tribe?"

Zaryusu nodded his head. "We do but…it's usually over if we ever managed to gather much more food than we expected," his eyes became a bit downcast, "and that hasn't happened in a _very_ long time, sadly."

"Well, there is such a thing as throwing a celebration over what might seem like nothing with us humans. The Yasha Ape is our guardian and when the people hear that you lot saved it _and_ stopped the issue plaguing our village with beasts, I'm sure they all will want to aid in the party. During which, we can discuss your questions during."

Zaryusu understood the logic in the man's words and nodded his head. Korik pointed to the broken staff on the table. "Well, what are you going to do about this thing?"

Miowa rested his hand under his chin. "Hmm…good question. Once a staff breaks, it can't be used as a focus for magic unless it's fixed with [Mending] and even then, that's not easy magic to obtain. If you don't mind…I'd like to keep it here. I might find a way to make some use out of it in the future."

"That's fine," Gwent said as he stood up, "we don't need his staff anyway. It makes sense for you to keep it. So, uh…how is this festival thing going to, I don't know? Start, I guess?"

"Well…" Miowa trailed off.

 _Later_

Everyone in the village was gathered in front of the chief house, muttering to themselves about why they were all called here. Even the adventurers that came here on their own or were paid to escort civilians were wondering what the big fuss was about though they all figured it was something involving the four people standing on the custom-created wooden platform Miowa made with his magic. A platform that was just off to the side of his door entrance and what he would stand on so everyone could see him, and he was also up there with Gwent and his party.

Darian gulped as he looked at all the eyes on them, not used to getting so much attention. Zaryusu still found eyes on him due to him being a Lizardman and Gwent could tell that some of the people were still going on about his [Ultra Greatsword]. Even heard some muttering about it with his newly enhanced hearing.

' _Okay, I'm definitely going to have to swap swords once we leave. Maybe a normal-sized greatsword would be a lot less standout-ish.'_

Korik was the only one who didn't get any strange looks, though he and Gwent were still lightly commented on due to their skin complexion. It wasn't anything serious though so the two of them let that slide. Miowa cleared his throat which got any muttering to stop and everyone gave him their full attention.

"My fellow villagers, I have wonderful news to bestow to you all! The plague of beasts that have befallen our village has, at least, been permanently dealt with! And the Yasha Ape is once again able to lend us its continued protection!"

The response was immediate. The people of Kokoto cheered and hollered in elation at the news. Everyone seemed very happy that they wouldn't have to look over their shoulders as they walked down the roads at the thought of beasts being on their heels from the forests or threatening to enter their village. It put into perspective for the four on stage just how much the people have been suffering from Alern's doing. Maybe he was working behind the scenes before he revealed himself to Miowa and claimed to 'help' after having his fun with tormenting these people. Speaking of the old man, he directed his arm to them.

"And we have these four people to thank for their service! The four travelers who showed up to our village only a few hours ago and aided us, even though I didn't ask anything of them! They are not adventurers, yet that have not claimed to be workers either. Just four people who helped us when we needed it the most! Will you four introduce yourselves?"

Not expecting this, they looked at the short man, who nodded and gestured to the gathered people around them, waiting for roll-call. Not seeing a problem with it, Gwent cleared his throat and spoke up first, before the others went down in a line.

"Uh, hello, everyone! Names, Gwent Bane! I'm the leader!"

"I'm Korik Bane! Acting Commander and second-in-command of this team!" Gwent gave his NPC a sideways glance at the use of his own last name, while Korik smirked at him. Gwent just grinned back as it honestly made him feel very happy Korik chose to do that. A last name keeps up appearances but now people would think they're related. Brother's probably.

 _'Man, it would sure flip their minds if they think that but then learn we fuck each other.'_ Gwent thought, holding back a laugh.

Zaryusu stepped forward. "Zaryusu Shasha! I'm a Lizardman Traveler, exploring the world with Master Gwent to gain knowledge!"

"I…I…um…I'm Darian Kletus…and-"Not used to speaking in front of a large crowd, he couldn't help but meekly speak.

Korik looked at the kid and sternly said, "Speak up, kid! They can't hear ya'!"

With a small yelp from the command, he stood straighter with his arms at his side. "I-I'm Darian Kletus, magic caster-in-training! I'm-I'm also traveling with Mister Gwent to learn more about magic!" He sighed and placed a hand on his chest to calm his beating heart but was surprised when the people began to clap for him. Well, all of them, making sure to remember their names as best as they could. Everyone at least respected Zaryusu's and Darian's reasons for traveling with the character now known as Gwent, who sported a large sword and fine silver armor that had a wolf-head inscribed on the chest plate.

Though since Miowa said the lot of them weren't adventurers OR workers, they didn't know how to really classify these people. Especially if they were strong enough to deal with either the Yasha Ape which got back to doing its job at protecting them. The villagers figured it'd at least take the strength of a Gold Ranked adventurer team, but these people took care of it easily. This was very peculiar as the Lizardman and spell caster claimed to be apprentices to the tallest one of them, named Gwent.

Miowa began speaking again. "So, now that we no longer have to worry about the safety our of our village, I say that we all celebrate!"

That was the magic word. If they cheered loudly before, they all exploded with elation, even throwing some harmless objects into the air to signify their happiness. This meant that they could all eat and drink the night away if they wanted and what kind of village was against doing that? So, when evening fell, there was a massive feast with a large boar-like creature being the main dish along with various smaller dishes at the center of town. Lights, games, drink (alcoholic and non-alcoholic) were shared and everyone just had a grand-old time.

Darian and Zaryusu were even being shown some special treatment to some of the villagers as well. Nothing too grand but they were being surrounded by quite a small crowd. Zaryusu realized that any sort of unease that the people had around him were completely gone and were showing a general interest in him. Even a lot of children were freely able to 'ooh' and 'aww' at seeing their very first demi-human

"You have cool scales mister lizard," a boy exclaimed while Zaryusu blinked owlishly.

"Why...thank you, little one."

"And a big tail!" The child who said this climbed on his tail, which had Zaryusu raise it to look at the child, lightly wagging her back and forth. The little girl laughed as this happened, but it wasn't because Zaryusu wanted too. His species used their tails to show emotions and the wagging was him giving his species' version of blushing or being embarrassed.

"W-Well…" Zaryusu started, not knowing what to say.

"How come you're naked lizard guy?"

Zaryusu gaped a bit at the question before the boy's mother, a woman with fair white skin and brown hair walked over and grabbed his hand.

"Clyde, that's not an appropriate thing to ask!" She sighed and smiled at Zaryusu. "I'm sorry about that. I don't know much about your species, but I know that you have no need for clothing in the same manner humans do."

Zaryusu looked at her for a bit before he gave a light laugh of honest mirth, not expecting something so trivial to make him feel jolly. "It's fine, ma'am. He's just a child that's curious, like all the other children here. It's honestly not all that different from the children of my tribe."

"So, you two and the other guys with you saved our village and the Yasha Ape, huh? I bet it was really hard to do." The same woman asked while one of the adventurer's, a guy in iron armor with a broadsword to his side piped up.

"Eh, I kept hearing that it would take a team of Gold Ranks to clear the problem. You're telling me a group of workers that no one knows about came in and took care of it?" This was a female magic caster with a staff made of metal and a red crystal on the top. She wore some purple robes, while one side of the robes slightly covered one of her legs, showing her brown shorts underneath.

Darian rubbed the back of his head. "Well, we're not really 'workers', like what Miowa said. Honestly, Zaryusu and I are the ones who joined Mister Gwent and the Commander and that was earlier today. And I don't think Mister Gwent really knows the difference between a worker or adventurer."

"What? How does he not know something as simple as that," the previous male asked before pointing to his Iron plate," workers don't have these for one."

"Well, did you see their skin complexion? They must be from very far away. I'm guessing the southern countries. They might do things differently there," another adventurer said, drinking some ale as he had two girls under each arm. Zaryusu and Darian relaxed as they had an excuse for them to us in the future, not exactly knowing what to say if someone asked where Gwent and Korik originated from since they themselves didn't know. But that's due to them knowing of their real origins of being a Demon and Goblin respectively. Darian _was_ going to make something up, but he didn't have any specifics to go with that course of action.

That same adventurer, who was wearing a steel plate, then spoke up again. "But I gotta say…for guys who might come from the south, they sure do seem to have some impressive shit. I mean, the armor and sword on that Gwent guy alone…"

One of the village males shook his head as he ate some meat. "Nah. I can't believe he actually swings a beast like THAT around without [Martial Arts]. I mean, it was about as big as he was tall. It must be for intimidation only or something."

"Did you see any other weapon on him?"

"Not me. Unless he had some dagger or sword I missed."

"Please, a man like that? With a wimpy dagger? Get real. I think his wolf armor is magically enhanced. No [Martials Arts] required since they take up too much stamina to use over and over."

"That makes sense. Gives him a strength boost to make him swing it."

"That shorter guy didn't have any weapons though, I could see that."

"He must be a hand-to-hand fighter then. A [Monk] if I had to guess. Those guys are physical freaks….in a good way, I mean."

"And they share the same last name, so they must be brothers. But the shorter one, Korik, was it? He looked older."

"You're saying the older brother is a pint compared to the younger brother?"

"Mmm~ Pint or not, he has _muscles_ on him~ I'd love to see just how 'commanding' that Korik character is."

"I prefer that Gwent. I love my men tall and enthusiastic. And with gear like his, I'm sure he's got a fine body as well."

All the comments were being passed around by villager and adventurer alike, with Darian and Zaryusu not having a choice but to listen. Though they had to admit that it was a very nice experience for them both, being surrounded by such comradery. Being acknowledged for their efforts was a nice touch though they didn't really let it get to their heads as well. Honestly, while they knew more about Gwent and Korik's true natures of being a Demon and Goblin, they also had a lot of questions regarding the two themselves. They just knew that they were unquestionably powerful, had rare magical items, and came from a land that was unlike anything here in the Re-Estize kingdom. Nothing regarding suspicion passed in their minds.

Quite the contrary, they were highly curious and enthusiastic to learn more about the two. If they had more to learn about them as people, then they had more to learn FROM them in the ways that they were both trying to study. Speaking of the two, Gwent and Korik were in Miowa's house, the three of them with platters of food and wooden cups of alcohol with them. The food was large game that was hunted and cooked with some veggies on the side. Gwent and Korik thought the food good enough to be consumed but nothing on the level that Gwent cooked the previous night.

For Korik, this got him eating only out of being polite, but he technically didn't really like it. He knew he was spoiled from his Boss' cooking and he was going to have more of that once it was time for them to set their house back up. Which reminded him, Zaryusu and Darian were going to lose their shit once they see their house. He just pushed the thought away and kept eating.

Gwent didn't do any comparison with his food as that was comparing unfair levels in a class specialized in cook to people who more-than-likely had nothing of the sort. Not to mention, all the ingredients in the [Secret Green House] was always top quality, which was another bonus to his cooking.

Miowa pulled his brew from his lips and gave a big sigh of content. "There's nothing like good booze to go with a meal, am I right?"

Korik ate all the meat off a bone and nodded his head. "You got that right old-timer. Maybe some other time we can help ya' with cooking food that tastes better than this."

"Oh, ho! Are you both able to cook?" He asked with interest.

"Actually, only me. Korik is just the guy who tells me to make food when it's convenient for him." Gwent said as he ate half of the food on his plate and drunk some of his own ale. He nearly gagged as it honestly tasted like beer from back on Earth. He hated beer with a passion but decided to suck it up, literally and metaphorically, and kept drinking it.

' _Christ, I need to wash the taste of this shit out my mouth later. Nothing against these people but they need something, I don't know, with a fruitier taste. Or wine. Literally anything that's not beer.'_

Korik snickered at Gwent's words. "Aw, don't be like that. You love cooking for me~"

Gwent gave him a deadpan look. "When the _hell_ did I say that? I never once said that."

Korik just smirked. "Oh, you do. All chefs love having their food being praised, Boss. You don't notice it, but I do."

Gwent just kept staring at him before turning back to Miowa. "Okay, ignoring this idiot, there are questions we wanted to ask you about Re-Estize. We agreed that they'd be our payment for helping Yasha Ape."

Miowa nodded in agreement and placed his drink down on the table beside him. "Yes, I remember. I have to say I'm still surprised all you ask for is knowledge of your new location and nothing else. But it's very humbling, indeed. You can ask any basic question about Re-Estize that you like that I'll do my best to answer them. I might not have all of the answers to all the questions you ask but I promise I'll do my best."

Gwent gave a big smile and a small laugh. "Thanks, Old-Man Miowa! That's all we're asking you do."

"So, what is it that you want to know first?" Miowa asked with a hint of interest.

Gwent leaned forward a bit, giving him his full attention. "Well, two things. We don't know the written language for one. So, having, a book of the general knowledge of this land would be helpful. I can't read any words I see." He then shifts his eyes to Korik. "But somehow _you_ can?"

Korik sipped some of his drink before smirking at Gwent.

"Why ya' think that, Boss?"

Gwent just deadpanned and pulled out the false effigy Korik made and showed it to him. Korik began to laugh a bit while Miowa got a little confused from the item. He couldn't get a good look at it so he didn't know why it was funny, but he could sort of make out the visage of the Yasha Ape.

"Um, I'm sorry but whatever is so funny?"

Gwent just showed him the effigy. After two seconds of looking at it, Miowa audibly balked at the vulgur message which just had Korik laughing even louder.

"Hahaha! Without context, reading 'Get Fucked' on an ape statue just makes it even _better_ , ya know!? Ghehehahahaha!" He just couldn't keep it together though seeing him so happy over something so dumb did put a smile on Gwent's face as well. It was interesting and entertaining seeing his Korik express various amounts of different emotions, just like any person would. At this point, Gwent was even willing to drop calling him an NPC and just say he IS a person at this point. Especially since they're in an open relationship, so it's best to not use such terms to make it feel a bit more alienated.

The way he figured the term "NPC" should strictly remain to characters in video games that are there solely for the purpose of the game itself. No real emotions and no real functions besides just being a bunch of code to give you items, interact with you, or to give you quests. But you wouldn't call other living, breathing people with their own minds, sentience, emotions, and such an NPC. They're the 'Players' of their own stories and all that jazz, even if Korik originally was not a "Player" himself.

Back on topic, Korik managed to calm down while Miowa shook his head and coughed awkwardly. "Um…I…I fail to see the humor in that, to be honest. Matter of fact, you obviously wrote that, even if it is a pretty vulgar message. Yet you ask for knowledge on this land's written language?"

Korik looked at Miowa, his smile not fading anytime soon. "Actually, I still can't read most of your language. I was only writing that shit due to the bits and pieces of language I saw and found out how some symbols worked. I'm a very quick study like as I figured out certain symbols repeated and added together to make certain words. However, that's basic and to be fluent in it, I'm going to need to study it like Boss."

Gwent nodded his head. "And we couldn't read it at all at first without the aid of a magic item that translates into a language we DO know."

Miowa raised an eyebrow. "You have such a magic item and yet you wish to learn the language anyway?"

Gwent shrugged. "Well, yeah. I mean, we can't always rely on magic stuff. We'll need to learn, and it would be better if we did. Like, what if our items get lost or somehow break?"

"Then we'd be shit outta luck when it comes to reading the language here in Re-Estize."

Miowa couldn't help but laugh at their responses, taking some form of joy regarding how they don't want to rely on magical items to do the work of understanding their written language. He even knew a few strong-men warriors who weren't well-versed readers and would happily abuse magic such a that. Seeing the confused looks on the two's faces, he breathed out a happy sigh and smiled at them.

"Huhuhu~ I'm sorry about that. It's just that this is the first time I've seen such young ones wishing to be so gung-ho about properly learning. Usually, warrior-types would only focus on buffing their muscles and not the one between their ears."

"Yeah, I can get that," Gwent agreed, "people don't generally like to learn more than they have too, especially if they only want to know about certain professions. But that's kinda dumb. I'd rather learn at least a decent number of things in case I'm caught in a situation that needs that knowledge, like reading your language."

"It makes me happy to hear something like that, Gwent." Miowa hopped out his seat and walked over to a bookshelf. Pulling out a large book that was dark brown. The two watched as he brought out over to the table and then placed it down in front of them.

"What's that?" Korik asked, not seeing any words on the cover.

"A dictionary. A very simple book but holds the best study material for what you're looking for." Miowa explained as Korik took the book and opened it to the first page, Gwent looking over as they both looked it over. The first page didn't exactly have words but a lot of symbols with distinct marks forming a line. Then there were what appeared to be short words in decently sized columns using those symbols.

Gwent blinked as something clicked in his head from looking it all over. "Wait, is that supposed to be the alphabet?"

Miowa nodded, also coming over to gaze at the learning material. "That it is; our country's version at least. Since you know the alphabet, I'm assuming you have something similar back where you live?"

"Yup," Gwent said with a quick nod, "Korik and I know two languages actually. One of them has its own alphabet and the other doesn't but it does have a set amount of small words that you put together to create other words. The main form is to use symbols in place of words, which is called Kanji. It's from a language called Japanese. But if the Re-Estize alphabet is anything like the alphabet we know; this should make learning this crap _several_ times easier!"

"But hold up a sec, Boss." Korik held up a finger to him before pointing to the page. "Yeah, this is great and all but it's not like we can exactly tell what these small words are. I may be a quick study, but I could only make out about under half of this from what I currently know."

Miowa placed a finger to his chin. "Yes, I can see how that would be a bit of an issue without a proper frame of reference."

Korik snapped his fingers to get his attention. "I got an idea. Got anything to write with?" With a nod, Miowa left the room for a few seconds before returning, a quill and ink-well in hand. Placing the two down, Korik grabbed the quill before dipping it in ink. "Alright, tell me what the small words are and make sure to point out the ones that you say."

Gwent tilted his head a bit and his eyebrows were scrunched in confusion. "Korik, what are you doing?"

Korik flashed a knowing smirk at him. "Just watch." He then nodded to Miowa who then pointed to a word.

"This word is 'table'." Korik then placed the quill over the word and began to carefully write in all capital letters; T-A-B-L-E over the five markings that were the Re-Estize alphabet. The effect was instantaneous as Gwent's eyes jerked open in shock while Miowa's was a look of surprise and intrigue.

"Dude! That's OUR alphabet! You're recreating it with this version!" Gwent exclaimed with a big grin on his face, which had Korik laugh and give a light jab to his armored chest.

"Awesome idea, right!? Knew you'd approve, Boss!"

Miowa looked at the translated word, never seeing writing like Earth's alphabet before. The symbols were just as strange to him as their country's language was to the two sitting in front of him. He looked over their version of the word 'table' more and more, finding his interest increase.

"My word, I've never seen THIS sort of writing before! And…you say this is your alphabet from your country?"

Gwent nodded, still grinning. "Yeah! I mean, not completely but it's one of the languages we know! Didn't know that it would fit so well in this context, but this makes it so much easier! Let's keep translating those words!"

So, the letter swapping continued. Korik continued to carefully write down the English words over the Re-Estize ones, making sure that each letter written was properly split and over the respective letters of the word in the book. Words ranged from 'dog' to 'coffers' to even 'fantastic'. But soon, all the letters were translated down on the front page. Soon, the recreating process was over, and the page was a mix of English and his own alphabet. Even Miowa took to copying the English alphabet for him to study it privately since it was so fascinating to him, with the two even giving him examples of a few English-only phrases.

Korik was now holding the dictionary in his hands. They only had to write on the first page and do any studying by using it as a guide. "Awesome! Now that's one problem solved, Boss!"

"Yeah, we're on a roll, now!" Gwent agreed while Miowa, holding a couple of papers with some English words on them for him to keep, smiled at them.

"I'm glad you boys feel as if you've made progress with the language. Is there anything else that you would like to ask me while we have this time? I'd more than willing to help," he held up the papers, "especially since you gave me these."

Gwent and Korik looked at each other before they continued with their questions. While they weren't many, they were very in-depth, and they learned quite a bit of things. Like, for starters, the currency. Miowa brought out a copper, silver, and gold coin each for them to look over and they were both interested and a bit unnerved at the state of the money. The coin looked beat up, worn, and just a tad dull. Even the gold coin didn't look anything like the value it supposedly had. Money getting dull from changing too many hands is understandable and Gwent knew that, but this was ridiculous. The money had looked like people had been trampling over them. And while Korik shared the same sentiment, he was surprised at the sight of copper and silver coins, having never seen either currency before. Though it wasn't that hard for him to understand the concept of there being a lower tier of money. 100 coppers equaled a silver piece and 100 silvers made a gold piece.

But comparing this world's gold coin to one of YGGDRASIL wasn't even fair. Even without bringing one into the open, common sense told them that the sight of a highly pristine gold coin from their world would appear more valuable then what people of this world have seen. So, an YGGDRASIL coin, which also has expertly crafted insignia on them would seem to be more valuable immediately than a gold coin from this world. How much, they didn't know but that was something they would have to experiment with on their own time. So, asking for the gold piece to keep comparing its value to what they're used to seeing, Miowa handed it over, no questions asked.

Another thing they both learned were the three main forces on the continent that they were on. Currently, they were in the Re-Estize Kingdom, which they already knew, but learned from Miowa a more in-depth look at them. It was one of three human nations on the continent while also being the biggest. The kingdom worships deities known as the 'Four Great Gods' which interested Gwent and Korik. They decided that they would do some research on that legend later. Yet they had an unsure feeling when they learned that, for a while, the kingdom has been in a state of constant political disorder and civil unrest. This unrest was caused by both the Royalty Faction and the Nobility Faction. Miowa didn't understand the details as what he knew was conjecture from other adventurer teams, which led to how it is the HUB for adventures.

There is the Empire, which was turned from a federal country to an absolute monarchy by the current emperor. This was done through the purging of nobles who only wanted to line pockets and try to turn the Empire into a copy of the Kingdom. The emperor forged new prosperity through hard work and eliminating those that would stay in the way of he and his people's prosperity, like other nobles. People know him as the 'Bloody Emperor' due to his actions. The Kingdom and the Empire have been at constant war for who knows how long.

Finally, the last human nation is known as the Slane Theocracy and walk a very thin line between being admired and hated. The Theocracy is one of the oldest and most advanced human nations with a religious history spanning 600 years. They worship 'Six Great Gods' and seek to prove humans are superior to any other race. They eliminate any who seek to get in the path of their goal.

Once the old man was finished explaining, Gwent and Korik look at the other, seeming to understand what the other was thinking without the use of [Message]. Not that they couldn't use [Message] but they would look weird in front of Miowa if they just stayed quiet to focus on a mental conversation. So, they just compiled all the info they were given and deduced a few simple things.

Re-Estize was in a state of constant bullshit because nobles don't know how to get their act together. Gwent has seen that in real life and in anime countless times to know where that road led and the kingdom was already walking it. Korik remembered their days back home in YGGDRASIL where they encountered various nobles of humans or elvish descent, who thought they owned everything their grubby little eyes saw. There was a ton of instances they had dismantled noble operations in YGGDRASIL, one of which he despised the most, where High Elves were making slaves out of Kobolds and Goblins. They were constantly forced to mine precious ore and were barely given food for all their hard work. It was so horrible that they were all scared of reproducing with their respective races, not wanting to raise children in such a horrid environment. By the end of it all, he and his boss butchered the nobles, who were arrogant enough to call themselves the 'Celestial Dragons' and they didn't stop until they killed all of the ones inhabiting that particular region of Midgard.

' _A fuckin' shame it took a while to kill them all. Damn those fucking humanoids, protecting them on a constant basis.'_ While Korik was having his moment to himself Gwent thought about the other two factions.

The Empire was in a state of prosperity because they have an efficient king, but he still isn't understanding the prospect of why they continuously go to war. Gwent would assume that the Empire had the advantage in tons of ways that Re-Estize does not, such as the fact that no nobles exist in that kingdom. The king can directly influence his armies however he sees fit and no king wants an army of nobodies, no matter their numbers, like when he a Korik had to complete a mini-quest chain involving nobles called the 'Celestial Dragons' in Midgard. As non-humans, they were tasked with fighting 500 NPC men who are all about level 15 to kill the nobles and then rescue enslaved Kobolds and Goblins. It took a while but two Lv. 55's at the time, with high-end specs, had no problem against such an inefficient army. Once they were killed, Gwent and Korik got rid of the nobles before freeing the slaves. Gwent compares that scenario to the army off Re-Estize. All, numbers but no substance.

Hell, the quest chain {Celestial Domination} took them a full year to complete, since while Demihumans and Heteromorphs had to fight against the 'Celestial Dragons' any and all Humanoid Players could work with them. It's severely easier to protect those assholes than to kill them because you must face factions of NPC's AND Players on top of that. To complete the chain, you must be at a certain level threshold, either to invade OR to protect. Hell, the only way Gwent and Korik even beaten it with just the two of them was the fact that Gwent bought tons of Cash Shop items with real money, which allowed him to keep spamming his [Epic Moves], which are the [Warrior] version of [Super Tier Magic] on the Players back to back until they were all dead. Got some wicked drops from them too and this took a whole year to complete.

Was it cheap to do? Duh.

Did he blow $1000 to do that quest with just the two of them? Fuck yes.

Was 'Pay to Win' worth it in the end? Hell-fucking-yeah.

Using all his resources? Yes, for that is what a smart man with only himself and a single NPC will do.

Cheat in battle so you can win. Fuck honor when it's your life and gear on the line.

Back on topic. A smaller but more powerful army with experienced men is the way to go. Though, maybe Re-Estize's army has strong people to make up for this yet what in the world were they constantly going to war for?

Then there is the Slane Theocracy. Human supremacists. Nothing he and Korik haven't dealt with in YGGDRASIL before. Seems no matter the universe, video game or real life, it's a concept that will always exist. He didn't have too many thoughts regarding these guys since he knew just what kind of people he was dealing with.

Coming out of his thoughts, he gave a bright smile at Miowa. "Thanks for the information! This stuff is really going to come in handy for when we venture out into this continent a lot more."

Miowa chuckled and said, "It's no trouble at all, Gwent. Korik. I'm glad to help the heroes of our little village in any way that I can. Though I do want to clear something up. I know that you two are from another continent so where from exactly? Not to mention," he looked to the side where the [Ultra Greatsword] was leaning against, "I have not seen any man wield a blade that was the same size he was."

Gwent blinked a few times as this was something he tried to think about before but could never really come up with anything. Korik glanced at him, just as lost as his boss was but knowing they had to come up with something very quick. They couldn't exactly say they were from another realm of existence. Well, they could but there are obvious reasons why they shouldn't go talking about that.

Gwent opened his mouth to try and say something but Korik coughed in his fist, stopping Gwent from saying anything. With a sideways glance to his Boss, he looked at the shorter man. "Well, I'll answer your question with another question. Where do you know people without complexion to usually live?"

"Oh! Let's see here…" Miowa tapped his chin as he looked at them both before speaking. "That would mean you two are from the southern continent! I hear rumors that people of your complexion live there along with people of the Human Country's complexion as well. That could also explain your unorthodox weapon, Gwent."

Gwent bit his lip and looked down to Korik who smirked back at him, with Gwent activating his [Ring of Message]. Korik then activated his [Earring of Message].

" _Korik, I LOVE YOU! I love you so much!"_

" _Hahaha! I KNOW you do! I keep saying you'll be hopeless without me. Do I get a reward?"_

" _Hehe. Yeah, but it'll have to wait until we're in a room together."_

" _Sounds like MY kinda reward, Boss~. Oh, and your cooking too!"_

Deactivating their [Message] items, Korik nodded his head with a smile. "Well, damn old man! Talk about deduction skills. Guess those rumors must hold some truth to them."

Miowa gave a light laugh. "Well, don't put TOO much stock in them. A lot of time, you can't get too much information from rumors. Just enough to get by with. I'm not sure about a lot of the rumors I hear about the south but I'm glad to meet people from there."

Gwent smiled down at him. "And we're glad to meet aa friendly face and a nice village after coming here."

Miowa smiled in agreement before he gained a curious look. "By the way, we haven't discussed where you'll be staying for tonight. I doubt the inn is full but if it is, you and the other two can stay in my house for the night."

Gwent shook his head. "Nah, it's fine. I think after this party we're going to hit the road and set up a camp. We feel a lot more comfortable sleeping outside. And don't worry about beasts. Korik and I are strong but Darian and Zaryusu are a lot more impressive than I expected them to be. We'll be perfectly safe."

Miowa rubbed his chin and shrugged. "Well, if you two feel that's the case, I won't stop you. After all, anyone who can defeat, and tame Yasha Ape is more than a match for any other beast in these woods." With a smile, Miowa held out both of his arms for them to shake either hand, which they do and move their hands up and down. "For the last time…thank the lot of you for helping us and I'm glad to have done whatever I could to help you back."

Korik smirked. "Willing to help us with anything else if we ask for it?"

Miowa gave a light laugh. "Yes, that is 100% established Korik. I'll say we're both business partners and good friends in my book."

"We'll say that too for our own books. Hm, actually…there should be something of equal measure I should give you." Gwent said as he made thinking pose. Miowa held out a hand and shook his head.

"My boy, you've done more than enough and didn't even ask for payment for what you did but basic information about the land you find yourself in. I think you've given quite enough."

Gwent just gave a large toothy grin. "Old-Man Miowa, you need some better form of compensation than just that, especially since Alern's been jerking you around this whole time. Hell, all you really got was a broken staff that's weaker than your own, but I got something that you can appreciate. I can't use it since I don't have [Druid] powers but you could. It should also help you in case another situation like Alern or the Yasha Ape happens again, and you can't get anyone to help."

This got Miowa, and even Korik very curious for what Gwent was talking about. More-so Korik since he didn't expect his Boss to give the old man anything of any significant value but wanted to see exactly what it was. Reaching behind him, Gwent discreetly reached into his [Inventory], which only Korik saw him do before he pulled out a large piece of green and sandy-brown cloth. The more he pulled the bigger the cloth got until it was a robe, which had Miowa's rub his eyes as the article of clothing seemed to have come from nowhere.

"What in the world…?" He said aloud, trying to process what he had just seen. From what he could tell, Gwent wore no form of carrying bags or had any other compartments to carry things, especially clothing. Not to mention, as far as robes go, this was a very intricate looking one that he had never seen in all his years. The scruff was lined with very soft looking white fur, three button straps connected the top sides of the robe together and the brown color seemed more like intricate designs over the majority of the green. Designs that looked akin to tree roots and then a tree on the back of the robe. Finally, Miowa saw that the robe seemed more like a coat due to it not having a way to close the front portion together. Also, seemed to be his exact size from what he was seeing.

Gwent kept grinning and took the robe in both hands before holding it out to Miowa. "Here you go, Old-Man Miowa! This should be more than enough for you to keep this village and everything about it in check."

Miowa blinked before inspecting the robe. Touching it, he gasped at how soft and comfortable the fabric felt on his hands. Even more comfortable than his fur blankets or wool pillows, as if he was touching, he was guessed a cloud felt like.

"Gwent…just what kind of robe is this? Where did it even come from?"

Gwent just shook his head. "Uh-uh. Trade secret old-timer. Just know that I've got a special way of hiding things. But I like you and you helped us, so I wanted to do more to help you. Sure, us helping was great and all but it's short term. This is for long-term prosperity for you. This robe is known as [Heart of the Greatwood]. As I said, you'll have better use of it then I will since you're a [Druid]. Just put it on and see how it feels.

"Whoa, Boss," Korik said, "I know we can't use it but I'm surprised you'd give an item like that away to a small village."

"Best in the hands of a small village with trusted people. And it's not like I gave a damn of carrying this thing anyway. I only have it because I'm a hoarder by nature so I just wanna give it to someone I like who can use it." Gwent explained just as Miowa took the robe. He felt the fabric a bit more with his thumbs before he slipped the robe onto him. He could only get a single sleeve in before the robe seemed to take a mind of its own, putting the other sleeve over his other arm, buttoning the three buttons at the top and form-fitting his body.

"O-Oh my! This is so unexpected!" He exclaimed, feeling the robe endow him with so much raw magical power and the energy of nature that it was a little overwhelming. He saw his body outline in a magical green aura before his form began to change a bit, surprising the other two. Miowa's slight hunch slowly vanished until he was standing upright. He gained about two more feet in height, the robe expanding with him as well. The wrinkles in his face became less prominent and his grey hair slowly gained color until it was mostly black with just a speck of grey at the roots.

Miowa looked like he got 40 years younger in a matter of seconds.

Seeing this had Gwent and Korik stand up in shock while Miowa looked at his slightly larger and less wrinkled hands. Stunned was the understatement here as he felt his heart probably skipped a beat.

"Oh, shit! I didn't expect THAT to happen! Talk about a make-over!" Gwent exclaimed.

"Boss, what kind of properties did that robe have!?" Korik yelled to him in shock while Gwent shook his head, not knowing the answer.

"Besides the obvious stuff, it was described to breathe vitality and nature's energy into the first [Druid] who wore it! But I guess 'nature's energy' translates to extra life or longevity of some kind! Old-Man, how do you feel!?"

Miowa was still looking at his hands before going to his full-view mirror. He checked out his face and then looked at his arms after rolling up a sleeve. He flexed and saw defined muscle there as he used to have. "I…I feel so much YOUNGER! Hahaha! I LOOK younger too! I'd say I was back in my hay-day right now! No, even BETTER than my hay-days!" He turned around and held up his hands, green magic flowing around them. "The power of nature…I can feel it in every pore of my body! I can feel the flowers, the grass, the trees…everything in my village! Maybe even outside of it too? Whatever this robe did it…it performed something only MIRACLE magic could perform! Where in the land did you acquire such a ridiculously powerful magic garment where it can alter one's age, Gwent!?"

Miowa's positive emotions just continued to rise, while Gwent wasn't expecting the robe to do what it did. He planned on giving the old man's Druidic powers a decent boost by giving him the [Relic] level item but _de-aging_ him? He and Korik looked at each as they both thought of an excuse to give the man. Gwent just held up his hands in front of him.

"It's something I received from a good friend of mine in our original home! She was also a [Druid] and she felt that I could make great money if I sold it but I never did! See, the thing is, I don't like to sell things of value if I know someone who could benefit from it if I couldn't but since it was a gift, I held onto it until I fund someone to give it too. So…I chose you, old man. But trust me, I had NO IDEA that this would happen! Just thought it would, you know, boost your powers of nature is all!"

Miowa grasped Gwent's hand and shook it vigorously. If not for the disguised demon's unreal strength, he was sure his arm would've popped out of his socket.

"My _word_ , young man! This is the best gift that anyone could've ever given me, even more so than my staff! Even if you deem this an accident, let's just say it was a happy one, if that is fine with you because it most certainly is with me! Please, I _implore_ you to ALWAYS come to Kokoto Village if you need help with anything! Literally…anything, you two!"

Korik rose an eyebrow. "Literally is a serious word, Miowa. What if it's shady dealings?"

Miowa laughed a hearty laugh, his new youth seriously shining through. "Oh, don't kid. I am 100% sure neither of you will get into any of THAT kind of trouble! I'm confident! Are you both sure you don't want to stay the night?"

"Y-Yeah," Gwent stuttered, still very confused, "besides, Korik and I need time to think about what the hell just happened to you. Thankfully, I write down the information of every item that I get so I'll be able to go over my notes. But, uh…thanks again?"

Miowa, once again, shook his hand but then also shook Korik's. "I return my own thanks once more too."


End file.
